


The Wolf and The Rider

by straycty



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous Fantasy AU, Ambiguous Relationships, Anal Sex, Bar Fight, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Blood, Chris is a werewolf who lives majorly apart from society by choice, Felix is a hunter who lives alone in the woods, Hand Kink, Inspired by a trip I took to an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere, Light Masochism, Light Mutual Possessiveness, M/M, Marital Kink, Marking, Mentioned Sadism, Non-ABO, Oral Sex, Past Infidelity, Past Prostitution, Riding, Rimming, Scent Kink/Fixation, Self-Acceptance, Size Kink, Slow Burn, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, cultural exchanges, descriptions of hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-05-13 02:43:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 31,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19242214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straycty/pseuds/straycty
Summary: “What are you?” Felix said, gasping around his heavy, restrained breaths. The pressure on his diaphragm made it hard to breathe.The man’s dark amber eyes blinked, answering simply. “Grateful.”





	1. The Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> hee hoo guess who's back? it's me. My laptop decided to delete all my progress on the deadbeat's club so I decided to write this instead out of grief and horny inspiration. All the places in this are inspired by real places I've been to over the past week, as well as a touch of Game of Thrones.
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you?” Felix said, gasping around his heavy, restrained breaths. The pressure of his arms on his diaphragm made it hard to breathe.
> 
> The man’s dark amber eyes blinked, answering simply. “Grateful.”

**Part One - The Wolf**

Early summer air had always been Felix’s favorite. It was clean and crisp, the morning dew thin and sweet as spring was forgotten to the latter season. It made good weather for riding, the painted horse under Felix happily trotting along the worn path lapped the familiar woods during their dawn ride as his crimson cloak fluttered gently behind him.

The sun hadn’t even broken the horizon by the time they’d departed, the brunette rider tying back his hair and slinging his bow over his back on the off chance he was either attacked or an animal crossed his path, ready for the hunt. He was quite a bit behind this season, the late warming of the weather setting him back many furs, so he would take any opportunity to hunt with open arms.

He took slow breaths, posting himself in the saddle to reduce the strain on his horse, May, as she trotted. With each upbeat, he raised himself up, letting himself fall gently on the downbeat of the opposite diagonal. May was a little green still, unused to being ridden, but she had taken to him well enough over the last year and was starting to adapt to her new life with the hunter. He took her out as often as possible, desensitizing her to the sights, smells, and feelings that came with the countryside.

His old horse, Tybalt, had fallen ill a few months ago and was no longer fit for riding at the frequency Felix’s life demanded. This was part of the reason Felix was so behind on his fur and meat stock, as well – it was hard to hunt when you had to care for an old horse and train a new one simultaneously. He had very little time to hunt because of that, and when he did hunt, he had to do it on foot. It was exhausting.

What happened was set in stone, though - he could not take back the time he had lost. Felix would simply have to deal with the consequences of his inaction and inexperience.

It served as a lesson for his future, since he shouldn’t have let himself get behind on his tending’s in the first place and should have anticipated Tybalt’s sickness in the horse’s old age. He no longer had a father to remind him of his faults – he had to take responsibility for himself.

The woods had warmed considerably, the young June sun breaking through the canopy and dappling the forest floor below with mottled sunlight. The path had some overgrowth from a lack of use over the winter and early spring, but it was nothing overly restricting, especially since May apparently had an affinity for the trail-side plants that got in her way, nibbling on them as she passed.

She flicked her tail as Felix let her drop to a more leisurely pace, no longer outrunning the flies that always seemed to linger near horses. He petted her, gently running his hands over her fur in small circles as they enjoyed the morning. When he pulled his hands away, a fine layer of dirt covered them.

_I’ll have to wash and brush her this evening._

They were a few leagues from his home in the woods when Felix’s ears picked up of a curious sounding whimper, unlike anything the hunter had ever heard before. It was barely loud enough to be heard over the rushing water of the nearby creek, most likely a decent distance from his current position, but the hunter’s keen ears were more than adept. He pulled back his hood, listening closer to make sure he wasn’t imagining the sound.

It repeated, high and pained. Now he knew he wasn’t hallucinating.

Felix drew the reigns in, commanding his horse to stop before dismounting and tying her loose up to a tree with a quick-release knot. If whatever he heard was a predator or had drawn predators, he wanted May to be able to get away safe and sound.

Felix followed the noise, pulling his bow over his shoulder and adjusting his quiver of arrows before he descended down the slope that led to the creak – a fifteen-foot-wide body of water that bordered the northern side of the woods before pouring into the nearby lake.

He placed his feet carefully, minding the smooth and wet rocks under the heels of his boots. The rain the night before had loosened the soil and made the slopes far more dangerous than they normally were, some of the rocks sliding in the mud as he stepped on them. He had to catch himself more than a few times, grabbing onto a stray branch for balance.

Luckily, he made it to the bottom of the ravine without too much incident, but he had still yet to find the source of the whimpering. He stopped and listened, the rush of the water now nearby making it even harder to hear.

_Chirp, splash, peck, groan, crumple, whine._

Felix hoped that the sound was a fox or perhaps a mink, since both of those creatures fetched high prices for their furs, but that was unlikely. The noise had sounded slightly too low for a fox or mink but was still canine. Worst case, it was a dog – perhaps the companion of another hunter in the area. He would hate to have to put an animal like that down, especially if he knew that it had a home to go back to.

The creak bent after about a minute of walking, Felix crossing the water over a fallen tree in order to get across without soaking his boots. The sound of water rushing was quieter on the far side, the high bank blocking out the white noise and allowing the hunter to focus on the crying animal. He listened for a few moments, turning about in order to determine its direction, and then set off once he was sure. It didn’t sound far. In fact, it sounded as if he was nearly on top of it.

He pushed through the undergrowth, getting closer to where the bank sloped down and met the water slowly, only a few tens of feet from where the creek became more treacherous and swift. There was very little erosion here, the banks of the creek shallow and gradual. Moss grew on the rich earth, the thick green carpet serving to cushion his steps. He pressed just a little further, pulling a branch to the side to clear his vision.

The view no longer obscured by leaves, Felix looked down at the sight in front of him.

Tangled in the undergrowth was a wolf, grey and wild. It was wet and muddy, three fourths of its body submerged in the freezing cold stream water, only it’s head, neck, and front paws clinging onto the bank where it dropped off suddenly into deeper water. It was desperately trying to stay afloat, its yellow eyes wide and frightened.

Felix gasped, covering his mouth with his hand as he looked at the creature. It’s leg was marred horribly, the flesh torn down to the bone and the limb twisted. It looked like it had caught it’s leg in a bear trap – one that another hunter had put near the water’s edge – and that the wolf had fallen in out of fright. It couldn’t maneuver itself properly to get out and could only cling on to the bank until it was saved or until it simply gave up on life.

The hunter circumvented the wolf, and as soon as it saw him, the animal started snarling at him and bearing its teeth. Felix drew an arrow, contemplating ending the animal’s suffering.

It was an appealing option. It’s pelt would fetch him quite a sum - the rich folk really loved their garish wolf pelts, after all - and the animal wouldn’t have to limp about with a broken leg. It was a win-win situation, in all honesty, but...

Felix looked down on it, making eye contact with it down the shaft of his drawn arrow. He watched as it growled, lips curling back and displaying it’s deadly fangs before closing its mouth and giving him a hard stare. It was too tired to even be properly fierce. There was no way it was going to live.

_I could make good money._

He pulled the drawstring back as far as it could go, telling himself it was a dog eat dog world. The wolf drew back its lips once again, snarling low and powerful.

_This would help me catch up on this season._

Its growl rumbled deep in its chest.

_This animal will only steal my hunts if I let it go free, but at the same time..._

Felix loosened the string and let the bow fall to his side, looking at the animal and the cognizant acceptance on its face.

_I can’t. I can’t kill something with so much drive to live._

Felix strung the bow back over his shoulder and knelt down, extending his hand within smelling distance but not lunging distance of the wolf’s mouth.

_I will help you, damned be the consequences._

“Hey, boy…” He whispered, unsmiling. Smiling - aka bearing his teeth - would only spur on further aggression from the wounded animal. Felix knew he looked insane, talking to a wolf like it could understand him, but he didn’t care. He was alone, anyway. “I’m going to help you okay?”

His words seemed to calm it, it’s snarl disappearing, replaced by the vulnerability it had been sporting before it had caught sight and smell of the hunter. When Felix was certain that it wasn’t going to lunge for him, he let his hand get the slightest bit closer, the wolf licking the tips of his fingers and looking up at him with those big, expressive eyes.

_Help me._

Felix drew his hand away removed his cloak, bow, and quiver, setting them aside far away from the riverbank. Those items were valuable and he wanted his warm cloak to be dry and ready to warm him if he fell in - Not to mention how a bow is utterly useless up-close. Wild animals were unpredictable, so Felix wanted to make sure he was prepared for the worst.

The hunter circled the animal in order to get to the pin of the bear trap, never taking his eyes off of the lupine creature in fear of it turning on him. It was observing him for now, but wolves were dangerous, injured and restrained or not. His dagger was ready on his thigh in case it changed its mind about him, too.

Kneeling down to where the chain of the bear trap was staked into the ground, Felix attempted too pull it loose from the ground. It didn’t budge, of course, since it was meant to keep a grizzly bear from fleeing the trap, but Felix thought it was worth a shot anyway.

Not wanting to waste any further effort, Felix pulled out his dagger, wedging the blunt end of the hilt onto the wide end of the release pin that kept the chain linked to the stake. It didn’t budge at first, but after a few good hits, the mechanism gave, the chain sliding off the earth and into the water with a rush and a _plop._

The wolf, feeling the sudden slack, pulled itself forward onto the bank, its three good legs serving to haul itself up and out of the freezing water. Felix feared, for a moment, that it was going to lunge for him as soon as it collected itself, but the wounded animal instead collapsed onto the mossy ground, breathing heavily.

It looked at him, tongue lolling out of its mouth, and glanced back at its foot.

Now that the limb was in full view, Felix was horrified. The limb was twisted – most likely broken, sprained at least – and looked more morose than bloody. If it wasn’t treated soon, the wolf was either going to lose it’s leg or lose it’s life, and now Felix was wondering if saving it from the trap was truly the kindest option.

Regardless, he had set it at least partially free, and Felix intended to follow through on his internal promise to help. He wasn’t going to let this proud animal die. Not if he could help it.

“Steady, steady…” Felix said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to help.” He knelt down beside it, surprised as the animal did nothing but whine and point at its leg with its snout. It was as if it knew, almost - as if it knew what needed to be done.

He wanted to get this over with quick, stepping down on the spring neck and using his dagger to pry open the stubborn bear trap before the feeling came back into the wolf’s leg, its limb still freezing cold from the water. He grunted, the effort of levering back the jowls of the trap straining his arms.

Finally, the bear trap opened with a loud _clang,_ the serrated edge separating from the animal’s flesh. It made a disgusting shucking sound, the wet muscle clinging onto the metal and peeling away painfully. The wolf whimpered, dragging itself forward with its front legs as soon as it was wide enough to pull itself free.

Luckily, the bone hadn’t broken as far as Felix could tell, the wolf stumbling onto all fours, albeit shakily. It stood, shaking off the water that had soaked it thoroughly from it’s shoulder’s down, and turned towards Felix.

Normally, once a wolf was free from immediate danger, it would flee or at least attempt to get away in some fashion, but this wolf was… odd. It was free, but it wasn’t running away.

Felix stood completely still. He didn’t want to provoke the animal, hoping it would limp away in its own time. The wolf was between him and his bow, and all he had now was a dull and slightly bent dagger (thanks to the bear trap) that could prevent the hunter from getting completely massacred by a hungry wolf at best.

He was contemplating swimming across the creek back to his horse when the wolf suddenly trotted forward and jumped, knocking the brunette back onto the mossy bank with two feet to his chest. Felix nearly screamed, holding in his voice as the wolf stood over him, yellow eyes bearing into his own dark brown ones.

The lupine creature’s breath was heavy and thick, rushing over his face with every pant. Felix was loath to move a muscle, fearing even the slightest twitch would send the animal into a blind, bloodthirsty frenzy. He held his breath and closed his eyes, praying the beast would either stalk off or get it over with quickly.

But no bite came. No sharp teeth, no claws, no growls…

Just one big, gross tongue.

Felix was paralyzed for a few moments, stunned at the affectionate action. The wolf was acting less wild and more dogish, lapping at his skin like a hound greeting its master.

“Hey!” Felix yelped, turning his head to the side and covering his neck with his hands as the wolf licked him. “I just took my weekly bath, for the Seven God’s sake! Stop it!”

It ignored him, one paw heavy on his chest and the other placed far too close to his head for comfort. The hunter squirmed, not sure what to make of the affections.

“Get off of me…” He groaned. The wolf whined, sounding almost _upset_ that Felix wasn’t enjoying the unsolicited tongue-bath. He turned over, peeking at the creature over him with a single eye. The sight he was met with was one he was not expecting.

In his blind panic, he had not felt the paws change from heavy, dense feet to calloused, broad hands. He had not noticed the fur vanishing, replaced with unruly, curly brown hair. He had not noticed the lupine body shift to one that was man rather than beast, a broad expanse of pale skin laid over the prone hunter.

Most of all, he hadn’t noticed the long, sopping tongue turn into a short, rough one with its own set of heart shaped lips, dragging against his neck leisurely and slow.

Felix took a single beat before screaming, repeating at the top of his lungs, “GET OFF OF ME!”

He kicked and screamed, the man – wolf? – climbing off of him completely unphased by his kicks. The man grabbed his arms, pinning them crossed on Felix’s chest until the brunette calmed down slightly, no longer thrashing.

“What are you?” Felix said, gasping around his heavy, restrained breaths. The pressure of his arms on his diaphragm made it hard to breathe.

The man’s dark amber eyes blinked, answering simply. “Grateful.”

Felix frowned, still struggling to breathe,  “I – That’s not… I meant physically. What- what are you physically?”

The man looked down at himself, confused. “Human…?” His face was far too close for Felix’s liking, “Is that not what I am?”

“I meant,” Felix paused, “What are you so that you could be both man _and_ wolf.” He didn’t know what sick game this man was playing. He caught his breath, putting as much force into his next words as possible. “Explain before I kill you.”

“Kill me?” The man’s brow furrowed. He spoke with absolutes, “But you’re underneath me.”

Felix gritted his teeth, jerking his upper body up and looping his legs around the man’s hips and attempting to flip them over with the momentum his motions created, swapping their positions briefly. The man grunted and pushed him back harder, the brunette once again pinned to the ground, this time with his hands above his head.

The hunter had his knife in the middle of the scuffle, his hands free briefly when he had flipped themselves over, only to lose it when his arms were gripped and held back into the moss above his head. Felix was lucky they weren’t on rocks.

The man was breathing heavily still, his breath just like a dog’s – gross and musky. His face was neutral as he spoke, but his eyes were bright. “You’re stronger than you look.”

“So I’ve been told,” Felix maintained eye contact. He decided bartering was the better way to go about this. “If you don’t answer me, I’m not going to help you, so what are you?” Felix took a beat, “Man or wolf?”

The man answered with little hesitation. “Both,” he said. He kneeled back off of Felix, his bare knees bracketing Felix’s thighs. The wolf-man extended his hand as he stood up shakily, offering it to the hunter.

The grounded man glared at it, instead opting to stand on his own while averting his eyes from the wolf-man’s dangling genitals. He hadn’t intended to get an eyeful, but when your head was crotch-level, it was tragically unavoidable.

“Seven Gods…” The hunter muttered, cringing. “Cover yourself, fucking hell.” He kept his face shielded as he circled the wolf-man to get to his previously discarded items, throwing the bundled red cloak at him. It was for both the wolf-man’s benefit and his own.

The man held the cloak in his hands uselessly, unsure of what to do with it. Felix huffed a sigh, tossing it around his shoulders and tying the drawstrings tight in the front. “It’ll keep you warm, alright? Keep it on at least until we get to my cabin.”

“Your cabin?” The wolf-man asked.

Felix frowned, slinging his bow over his back. The wolf-man eyed the motion. “Yes, my cabin.”

“What could you possibly do to help me there?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Felix rolled his eyes. _Damn my morality._ “Prevent you from losing your damn leg?”

“But you’ve already helped me enough,” the wolf-man tried to take off the cloak, wincing when he stumbled back onto his bad leg. “I’ll be okay,” he said.

“No, you won’t,” Felix argued, swatting his hands away from the cloak’s drawstrings. “You’ll get hypothermia if you don’t already have it, gangrene will set in, and you’ll die. I’ve already put in this much effort to save you, so what’s a little more?” The hunter pulled up the hood, gently ruffling the wolf-man’s hair to dry it. “Let me take care of you.”

The wolf-man growled softly. He didn’t like the implied notion. “I don’t need to be taken care of.”

“There is nothing wrong with accepting kindness,” the hunter said wisely. The wolf-man only grumbled back.

“I am already indebted to you,” he sighed. “I do not wish to accumulate more.”

“Then would you rather be dead?”

The wolf-man said nothing.

Felix huffed. “That’s what I thought.”

 

After an intense struggle to get the wolf-man on the horse, Felix walked back the five miles to his cabin, horse-reins in hand. It was late afternoon by the time they arrived, the summer sun still a few hours from setting. The hunter was frustrated with himself, angry that he had tangled himself in the wolf-man’s mess when he had his own problems to worry about.

But then he looked at the sleeping wolf-man’s leg, mangled and dripping, and he started to feel less angry and more resigned.

 _I made my bed and now I must lie in it,_ Felix thought to himself.

Luckily, the man had ceased complaining about the horse only a couple of minutes into the trek, falling asleep from exhaustion on the horse’s back, his finger’s laced tightly in May’s mane. The horse didn’t like the wolf-man as much as the wolf-man didn’t like the horse, but Felix bribed her with sweet-grass, so all was well.

When Felix woke the wolf-man back up, the delirium had been exchanged with grouchy irritability. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get the wolf-man to move unless he grabbed him and manipulated him physically, dragging him off the horse and onto the muddy ground. All his energy had been sapped from his body and into the creek long ago, and Felix was beginning to doubt if the wolf-man would live, after all.

“Come on,” Felix grunted, “Cooperate with me, here.”

He dragged the heavy wolf-man by his arms, too weak to carry him into his home over his back or to his chest without hurting his drawing arm. The wolf-man was made of dense, sinewy muscle and bone making him heavier than Felix first guessed.

It took him a while, but eventually the wolf-man was in his house laying in front of his fireplace. He laid him down with a tired huff, his biceps demanding a break, but he had to continue. He couldn’t half-ass this. The hunter proceeded to get a fire started in record time, fetching a basin of water from the well, ignoring his aching muscles, to heat up and have the wolf-man drink.

After he put the water over the fire to boil, he picked out any debris from the wound, handing the half-conscious wolf-man a wooden spoon to bite down on when Felix stitched the wound shut. The guttural screams and growls sent shivers down Felix’s spine, reminded of the massive chance he took to save this wolf-man simply because of a set of damn puppy eyes.

“Drink,” Felix commanded, holding a cup of water to his lips. He cupped his jaw, helping him sit up to gulp the water down. “That’s it, that’s it…” he stroked his thumb along his jaw, “Good boy.”

“I’m not a boy,” the wolf-man reminded him, gasping for breath as he strained to drink more water.

“But you _are_ a dog,” the hunter teased. He had to have some fun with this, alright?

“A wolf,” he corrected, glaring at Felix. The hunter simply laughed in response, bringing the cup back to his lips. He returned his hand to the wolf-man’s head, letting his fingers lace in the hair at the nape of his neck. It was surprisingly soft, although quite oily. It wasn’t like Felix wasn’t gross himself, though.

“Right – a wolf.”

When the wolf-man seemed to loll off to sleep, Felix stood, aiming to get up and head to bed himself. As he stood, the wolf-man stirred, a calloused hand snagging his wrist. It was the fastest he’s seen him move since he rescued him, the hunter yelping as the wolf brought Felix’s hand down to his face.

Felix calmed down when he realized what the wolf-man was doing – the creature rubbing his face onto Felix’s hand like a dog would his owner. He has seen animals do things like this before, the animal rubbing their scent off on a person in order to make them smell like them. It marked their friendships and bonds, serving as a thank you and as a warning to anyone who would dare trifle with their marked human.

When the wolf-man pulled on his hand, wanting to pull Felix down on top of him, Felix decided that he had indulged him long enough and pulled away entirely. The whimper the man let out at the loss of his hand made the hunter feel a touch guilty, but it wasn’t enough to persuade him to come back down and let the wolf-man fucking scent-roll him.

“Sleep,” He said.

“Outside,” the wolf-man begged, “Please.”

Felix shook his head and nodded to the fire. “The warmth will help you heal.”

He left him a cup of water and a few slices of cured meat for the night before retiring to bed, his body melding into the stiff straw mattress as if it was actually comfortable.  It took him hours to fall asleep, laying awake and listening to the rolling and soft, pained moaning of the wolf-man a single room over.

When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were filled with amber eyes and dark, dark fur.

 

The man complained less and less as time went on, taking what Felix gave him gratefully, although the man consistently insisted on sleeping outside. His mutterings the following day were only the beginning of a running theme, unending and on loop for what seemed like hours.

“It feels unnatural,” the wolf-man began, “being indoors.”

“You prefer outside?” Felix raised an eyebrow as he waxed his bow, his hand rubbing small circles with a rag into the wood. He turned it over to get to the other side, glancing down at the wolf-man who was still restricted to laying on the floor. They’ve already been through this conversation multiple times, the dialogue memorized line-by line per actor.

“Very much so, yes.” The wolf-man rolled onto his stomach, groaning with the effort, his bare ass out because he still refused to put on clothes to any degree. It was distracting, a bit, but Felix had to admit he had a nice ass. “I’d like to go out.”

Felix sighed. “When you’re completely healed and no longer my responsibility, you can. I’m not letting my efforts to keep you alive go wasted if you get sick as soon as you sleep in the cold.”

“Wolves don’t get sick from the cold. Not easily,” the wolf-man argued, “And I never was your responsibility.”

“Key word: easily.” Felix threw the blanket that had been on his lap over him which the wolf-man promptly tossed off. “And I saved you, so yes, you are my responsibility.”

“Wolves take responsibility very seriously,” the wolf-man warned, bundling up the blanket and throwing it to the side. “I already have a massive debt to you and with each day it grows bigger.”

“Then so be it,” Felix answered. “I hate waste and I would hate to see all my efforts wash away if you die.” He continued waxing his bow, feeling the wolf-man’s dark amber eyes boring into him. “Do not ask again.”

The wolf-man asked again.

 

The hunter took care of the wolf-man for at least four days before he was able to stand, each day feeding and giving water to the weak beast. The wolf-man grew in strength with each passing day his appetite returning with a greater vengeance, his body desiring more and more food to heal from his injuries. Felix realized the burden of this and gave the man an ultimatum.

It was early on the morning of his sixth day at Felix’s cabin when the hunter approached him. The wolf-man was sitting by the fire, his injured leg extended as he watched the flames. He seemed to know what Felix was going to say before he even said it, the only cue that he was listening being the slight tilt of his head in the hunter’s direction.

“You are able to stand,” Felix began, “and you seem fully prepared to eat me out of house and home.” The wolf-man had the decency to at least look sheepish, his shoulders sloping guiltily. He knew his appetite was rather large. “You either stay and help, or you go. No one lives under my roof without their fair share of hard work,” he paused, “so what’ll it be?”

The wolf-man tilted his head further, looking at him over his shoulder. “What is your name?”

“I-” Felix started, scowling. “I asked you a question. Do not counter me with one of your own.”

“I simply want to know your name before I give my answer,” the wolf-man said as he stood and turned around. Felix kept his eyes above his waist. “Names are vital in deal making. Promises mean nothing without them.”

“I wasn’t asking you to make a promise,” Felix frowned, “Just a decision.”

“It’s all the same to me. My decisions are my promises,” the wolf-man squared his shoulders, “and I want to know the name of the man I am giving my word to.”

Felix looked at him, narrowing his eyes. It did not seem wise to trust a wolf - the lore and history surrounding the beast foreboding the worst - but the wolf-man had done nothing to offend him besides his perpetual distaste for clothes (although he allowed loose linen pants). In fact, he has been kind and has only taken what Felix has given him, never asking for more and always thankful for what he is given. If Felix was being honest, he might even miss the wolf-man if he were to leave.

The hunter met the wolf-man’s steady gaze. “My name is Felix,” he said, “And you are…?”

“Chris, Christopher, or Chan,” the wolf-man smiled, his sharper-than-average canines on display. “Christopher was my first name and Chan is my lupine. It’s easier to distinguish.” He tilted his head, “Although you, Felix, can call me whichever you like.”

“I’ll stick with Chris, thanks.” Felix answered shortly. He wanted to get this over with quickly. He’s a wolf, so of course he is going to want to return to the woods. It’s better to forget him fast than to drag on those lingering _what-if’s_ in his head. “Your decision?”

The wolf-man took a few steps forward, crossing the room to stand in front of Felix. The brunette was the same height as him, but the build of the stronger man made the hunter feel tiny and Felix wasn’t exactly scrawny, either. He grabs Felix’s hand just like how he had done a few days ago when Felix had first tended to him by the fire, bringing it up to his face and nuzzling into it.

“You saved me out of the good of your heart,” Chris said, “No matter how badly you want me gone, I have a debt to repay. You saved my life and now I must live for yours.”

“Chris, you have no debt to me.” Felix relaxed his hand, letting it slide down his neck to rest on his shoulder. The wolf-man leveled his gaze, looking at Felix evenly.

“The customs us wolves follow differ from those of humans,” the lupine laid his hand over the hunter’s. “It is a life for a life, given or taken, and you have given me life.”

“That’s very poetic of you, but I gave you no such thing. All I did was provide a means for you to escape an unfair death.”

“But you could have killed me,” the wolf-man reasoned. “You could have killed me as a wolf and stolen my pelt. I’ve heard you muttering to yourself – I know you could’ve used the money my skin would have given you - but you let me live instead. You are kind.”

“I’m stupid,” Felix muttered to himself. He was happy, secretly, but he wasn’t about to let Chris know that. He didn’t want to let on how desperate he was for company. “I should’ve taken you seriously when you said wolves take responsibilities seriously.”

“I won’t argue with that,” He smiled, lifting Felix’s hand to his mouth and pressing his smirking lips into the palm of his hand. “Besides, I’d rather devote my life to a kind idiot than a smart asshole, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Who said you can call me that?” Felix wiggled his hand out of his grip, slapping him a few times by _accident_ in the process. The wolf-man made a disgruntled expression, scrunching up his face at the uncomfortable feeling.

“You called yourself an idiot and I simply agreed,” Chris teased.

“You weren’t meant to _agree._ ”

“You’re right,” he gave the hunter a wolfish grin. “You’re brilliant for having saved me.”

“I signed up for a wolf, not a cockish prat.” Felix fired back. Chris buried his face in his neck, rubbing his cheek across his jugular. Felix strained his head away as he pressed up against him, his breath heavy in his ear.

_This is new._

“Being a cockish prat comes with the gig.” The wolf-man laughed, the rush over his ear making Felix shiver. If Chris felt it, he didn’t say anything, instead pulling away and giving Felix space to breathe. “Oh, and also?”

“Yes, Chris?”

“… Can I sleep outside?”

He was mostly healed, so really, there was no reason to restrict him to the indoors, anymore. Felix sighed deeply. “Knock yourself out.”

 

Felix knew that when the wolf insisted on sleeping outside, it was going to bother him, but he didn’t expect it to bother him this much. He thought he would make the horses uneasy at best, but even from the dry shed his very presence made them alarmed. It had only been a few days, but the rider already knew that this situation wasn’t going to resolve itself.

He wanted to let Chris do what would make himself comfortable, he really did, but if Tybalt had to be frightened for even one more night, Felix feared the old horse would keel over and die. The hunter decided that he would do something about it as soon as he could, most likely that night.

It was a few hours from dusk when the hunter came home, a doe strung up over the back of May, the patter of the deer’s hooves on her torso and the _clack clack_ of her horseshoes announcing his arrival home. It was the first kill he’d come back with since the wolf-man had joined his household.

“Chris!” The hunter called.

The wolf-man popped his head up from around the south-side of the cabin. His curly brown hair was awry and his arms were crosshatched with what looked like… chicken scratches?

“Did you get in a fight with the rooster again?”

“No,” Chris defended himself quickly, blatantly lying. Felix cocked an eyebrow and the wolf-man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Maybe…”

“How many times do I have to tell you – just use the coop door. You don’t have to go in to get the eggs!”

The hunter dismounted, Chris removing the doe from May’s back before he led her to the stall. The horse eyed the wolf-man, whinnying each time he came closer than ten feet. “It’s alright, girl. He isn’t going to hurt you…” he soothed her, running a gentle hand over her cheek.

Felix had already field dressed the doe, removing its organs and windpipe to prevent spoiling the meat, but he had yet to skin and drain it. He turned to Chris, about to ask him if he could begin that process, but he was already on it, hooves in hand.

“You’ve done this before?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Chris answered, dragging the deer behind himself to where Felix normally strung-up his kills by the dry shed. The wolf-man hoisted the deer up, Felix grabbing the hook and driving it through it’s haunches to hang it head down.

“I used to hunt when I was younger,” the wolf-man smiled at him over his shoulder, flashing his sharper-than-average canines. “I wasn’t always a wolf, you know.”

“I didn’t,” Felix said quietly, noting the new information. He bit his lip as he removed his skinning knife from its leather holster, digging it into the pelt with care. “I don’t know much at all about wolves.”

Chris hummed. “You’ve never hunted one?”

“They don’t tend to come this far south, especially in the summer,” Felix explained.

“I see,” the wolf-man lifted one side of the deer, helping the hunter with a delicate cut. “Would you kill one if you had the chance?”

“Only if it was for the good of the animal or if it threatened my life.”

_It was simple, really._

“But you didn’t kill me?”

_Or at least it should’ve been._

“Yeah,” Felix shrugged, “I didn’t.”

“Why?”

The hunter furrowed his brow, withdrawing his knife from the animal’s flesh. He looked at the wolf-man who was currently leaning against the wall of the dry shed, hands in his pockets. A loose shirt dangled from his shoulders, flowing gently in the evening breeze. He was looking at Felix with an expression the hunter couldn’t decode. He went back to skinning.

“You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna get me a wash bucket?” Felix spoke up after about ten minutes of ignoring his question, cutting under more skin.

“Not until you tell me why you didn’t fire that arrow between my eyes.” Chris raised an eyebrow.

The hunter scowled, “Why do you want to know so bad?”

“Just curious,” the brunette rolled his head to the side, his adam’s apple bobbing as he watched Felix cut away under the skin. Felix, with periodic glances, couldn’t tell if he was serious or teasing. “I want to know what you saw in me.”

“I saw a wolf,” Felix answered shortly, letting the pelt slough off in one clean sheet, “That’s it.”

“You sure?” Chris smirked. Felix immediately recalled his bare body perched over him, smooth and sleek like one of those statues the traveler’s in town described from their journeys across the mainland. So maybe he _had_ seen a little more than a wolf, but he wasn’t about to let that get to him, much less let Chris know that that moment had stuck in his head for the past couple nights.

He maintained an indifferent expression, bloodied hands dripping onto the earth as he removed the skin completely from the animal. The hunter gave the wolf-man a flat look, revealing nothing. He wasn’t about to give him any carnal satisfaction.

“Yes,” he patted the wolf-man’s cheek a light pat, the blood rubbing off on his jowls. “I’ve never been more sure.”

Chris made a noise split between a whine and a growl. It was cute, really, but Felix only let an endeared smile rise to his lips once he was turned away from the curly-haired man. The wolf-man wiped away the blood, following after him.

“The wash bucket, Chris.” Felix reminded, voice sing-song. “You don’t want gamey meat, do you?”

He heard the wolf grumble, but he fetched the wash bucket anyway. The two set out to finish their task in near-silence, letting the soundtrack of nature fill their ears and take away any thoughts that plagued their minds, at least for the time being.

Given two hours of hard work and labor, the pelt was washed and set out to dry and the meat was set to hang out in the cool air to age overnight, ready to be salted and dried the following day. Felix breathed low and slow through his nose, the routine of washing the remaining blood from his hands and his knives and tools serving to calm his nerves.

He watched as Chris smothered the lanterns, putting out the outside lights one by one before he turned in to sleep. Felix glanced at his horses - particularly Tybalt - and sighed. The hunter didn’t want to invite the wolf back inside as much as he didn’t want to leave him out to frighten the horses, but he had to.

“You’re not gonna like me…” Felix sighed. Chris’ ears perked from where he had been settling into his makeshift nest in dry shed, laying among the hay and feed.

“Why?” Chris asked curiously.

“Because,” Felix walked over to him, poking him in the side with his booted foot. “I’m about to tell you to get up and get your ass inside.”

The wolf-man’s face fell, “Seriously?!”

“Sorry to take away your moon and stars, but you’re scaring the horses. I’d rather you be inside rather than keeping you outside and giving my stallion a heart attack.”

“I’ve been scaring them?” Chris frowned, “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Felix raised a brow, “You haven’t noticed? They’re restless.”

“I guess I’m not used to horses, either. I thought they were always like that,” Chris grimaced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Felix said. He was apologetic as well. “I wouldn’t make you sleep inside if it wasn’t important. I know how much you like the outdoors.”

Chris chuckled. “Oh, so you know me well now, huh?”

“Well enough to know you bitch when you don’t get to flaunt you bare ass in the moonlight,” Felix snarked.

“Flaunting, ey?” Chris guffawed at that, raising a brow and chasing after the thin hunter as he rolled his eyes and retreated to his home. “Interesting word choice for someone who said they weren’t looking.”

“Do you want me to kick you out? It that it?”

“Just stating facts here, Lix.”

The hunter stopped in his tracks, glaring. “Do _not_ call me Lix.”

The wolf-man held up his hands, “Sorry, sorry. Is that a sore spot for you?”

“You’re gonna get a sore spot if you keep asking, pooch.” Felix ground out. Any relaxation he had gotten from his routine had vanished, gone with the wind. “Boots off at the door,” he reminded, forgetting that Chris never wore shoes anyway.

“Yeah, sure. Just let me skin my feet real quick.” The wolf-man jested.

“Oh, shut it!” Felix replied. He grumbled, “At least wipe them off…”

The wolf-man huffed a soft sigh, giving in easier than expected. “Alright,” he answered, “Will do.”

“Thank you, and-” Felix said as he locked the door behind him, “Wash yourself down before you get into bed. I’m not sleeping with a bloody mutt.”

“Whoa, there! What?” Chris raised his brow. Felix laughed.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. We’re just sleeping on the same bed - I’m not coming onto to you,” he shucked off his boots. “Did you expect to get your own bed, or something? You think I’m rich enough for that?”

“Your wording threw me through a loop, is all.” Chris explained, his canines showing as he smiled. Felix knew exactly what he was thinking, but he refused to entertain it. He was taking in Chris and his overtly sexual humor (and advances?) because he needed an extra hand around the house, not because he wanted to bed him.

 _Although, that thought isn’t_ exactly _repulsive and he is quite handsome and - no. No, no, no. We are ending that train of thought right there._

“You’re just gross,” Felix grumbled. Chris only chuckled in response, earning himself a prompt glare. The hunter blew a sigh from his lips, removing his shirt as he walked to his room. The wolf-man followed close behind, mimicking the younger man.

As Felix was preparing his bed, tidying the sheets and pulling off his pants to replace them with a set of sleep-clothes to protect his skin from the semi-abrasive straw bed, he was horrified to see the wolf-man crawling into bed very, very naked.

“No,” Felix pointed to everything that was out. “No, no no! Put it away!”

“My penis?” The wolf man said incredulously, “Well, that’s easier said than done.”

“Trust me, I’m fully aware,” Felix groaned. God, he was done with this man’s nudist antics. “I am not sleeping in a bed with you while your bits are free-range.”

“Oh, no…” Chris lamented dramatically, laying his hand over his forehead. “I guess I _need_ to sleep outside then.” He stood up, more than ready to waltz back outside, but Felix caught his arm.

“Ah,” Chris smirked, “You’ve changed your mind?”

“In your dreams,” Felix cringed, dropping his arm and walking away from him. “I haven’t changed my mind in the slightest. You’re still sleeping in here, and if I recall right, you said your life is to be lived out for mine. If you hold true to that, you should have no issue putting on pants, hm? Or are you going back on your word?”

“I never go back on my word,” Chris said, dropping his playful tone. It wasn’t gone for long, though. He clicked his tongue, “But _boy_ do I hate pants.”

“Again, I am _very_ aware,” Felix said, “but can we at least come to a compromise? Please?”

The wolf-man sighed. “And what do you suggest?”

“That’s for you to decide. Compromises are two-sided. I can’t pick for you.”

“Hm,” he hummed, “Then… how about I just sleep as a wolf? That won’t be too disturbing for you, will it?”

Felix took a deep breath, thinking about it. “It’ll take some getting used to, but it’s better than the alternative.”

“Sleeping naked is not inherently sexual!”

“It is when you keep flirting with me!” Felix retorted. He was less angry and more annoyed. “Have some taste, will you? A little method to your madness?”

“I’m not flirting,” The wolf-man grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Felix snorted, grabbing his chin and forcing him to make eye contact with him. He stood between his legs. “Yeah? Then what do you call kissing my hand and pulling me close? Letting the sheets fall off your shoulders the moment I walk in the room? Your lewd comments and jokes? Do you honestly think those things get to me? That I’m going to fuck myself to the thought of you removing a piece of fabric?”

The wolf-man’s face flushed red, leaving Felix with a sense of satisfaction. The hunter scoffed, “Get over yourself.”

The wolf-man looked to the side, sheepish. His voice was soft when he spoke, “I’m sorry.”

“Glad to know you can feel shame,” Felix huffed, letting go of his chin and taking a step back. “I don’t want to tell you how to act, I just want you to know that things like this - your flirting, your flaunting - don’t get to me. I’m not going to give myself to you like a two-cent whore.”

“You’re not a two-cent whore, I never-”

“I know you didn’t,” Felix said, softer but stern. “I simply don’t want you to give you the impression that I’m willing to lay with someone so easily. I don’t do that anymore and I don’t plan on starting again.”

“Message received,” Chris said. “I’m sorry.”

Felix frowned, watching the wolf-man’s face twist. The curly-haired man looked so downcast, his face pinched like he was reflecting on every interaction he had with Felix so far, critical of his own actions. Perhaps he had been to harsh.

The hunter took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his mouth. “I’m sorry as well. I… some events from my past may have been clouding my judgement.”

“No, no. It’s fine, you are fine, I-” The wolf-man grimaced, “Thinking back I may have been a bit… forward. It has been a long time since I’ve courted as a human. Wolves are much more… direct, so to speak. I’m sorry if I crossed any of your boundaries.”

“Oh, you haven’t done any such thing. I lost my boundaries a long time ago,” Felix said, chuckling quietly. “It just annoyed me that you refused to admit you were flirting.”

 Chris’ mouth opened in shock. “So that’s it? That’s why you were so mad at me?” Chris asked incredulously, “Because I wouldn’t admit I was flirting?”

“I prefer forwardness,” Felix ruffled his hair. “Honesty is the best policy, after all.”

“... I see,” he mused, grabbing the hunter’s hand. “You would fit right in with us wolves.”

“Mm,” Felix hummed, letting the wolf-man rub his scent on his hand. “Would I?”

The wolf-man hummed back. “You’re brutally honest,” he said. “It’s quite attractive.”

Felix smirked, speaking low. Riling up the curly-haired man was fun, watching his eyes darken as he let his thumb rub along his jaw. “Glad my tongue is good for something,” he laughed, “Wouldn’t want my talents to go to waste.”

A low growl rumbled in the wolf-man’s chest, his hands twitching at his side. It was nice, seeing the power he had over him, but he refused to abuse it. Felix decided that was enough for the night.

“So, can we agree that we’ll try to understand each other?” Felix asked. The wolf-man nodded, blinking out of whatever haze the hunter had sent him spiraling down into. “Good,” he sighed, letting his hand fall away, cold. “We should go to bed.”

“Do we have to?” The wolf-man said, eyes dissecting Felix’s expression, trying to glean any hint of a wavering will. “I can think of plenty of other things we could be doing instead.”

The hunter clicked his tongue, “You know…”

“Yes?”

“...I wouldn’t mind crocheting, actually.” The wolf-man looked at him, unamused. Felix smiled, “Just kidding - now go to sleep.”

The wolf-man stood, getting down on all fours and disappearing out of the hunter’s line of sight. The sound of skin on wood changed to claws on wood, the _click-clack_ of the beast’s paws circling the bed until Chris - or should he say Chan? - hopped up on the other side.

Felix looked at him - taking in those bright yellow eyes and his long, thick grey fur. He wanted to run his hands through it and to hold the large animal close. He no longer felt any danger around the beast, knowing Chan would never hurt him. Wolves really _were_ serious about their debts.

He pinched out the candle and patted the spot next to him, rolling onto his side. “Come’re.”

The wolf looked at him curiously before walking across the bed, flopping down with a _humph_ at his side. He laid his head on his paws, shimmying forward to get closer when Felix put his arm around him and buried his face in his neck.

“You’re so soft…” The hunter mused, scratching behind his ears. Chan groaned in contentment, his eyes shutting slowly like two stars blinking out in the night sky that was Felix’s bedroom. The hunter shut his own eyes, letting himself bury his face in the scruff of the wolf’s neck.

“Goodnight, Chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ay I'm actually super proud of this, so that's cool!!I hope you found this as funny as I did while I was writing it because I laugh cried when i wrote about felix yelling at chris and chris being like "my penis?" and I just so tried that somehow that was Peak Comedy to me. god, i am a mess. Also, Please drop a comment if you like this :) I thrive off feedback lmao
> 
> In other news, I am a whore for Felix. I cannot stress this enough. I would die for that boy. I just,,, I'm lov,, him,,
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!! I love you all :)
> 
> p.s my twitter is [sungnsfw](https://twitter.com/sungnsfw)


	2. The Rider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I beg to disagree,” Felix said as he pulled his hair, guiding the wolf-man’s face to his neck with his hand tight in his hair. He shivered, feeling the man let his lips meet the archer’s skin. “If it bothers you so much, do something about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the response to the first chapter of this fic, like??? I was expecting maybe 5 comments at most, but y'all came through like wildfire. It means a lot to me to hear the things y'all say ;-;
> 
> TW: Mild gore during hunting, consuming of raw meat, and mentions of cheating/infidelity. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

** Part Two - The Rider **

The morning was young when Felix departed for town, leaving the wolf-man to tend to his hearth and home in his stead. He brought both May and Tybalt with him, riding at a slower pace than normal in order to let the elderly stallion keep up.

It was part of the way through summer, just two weeks before July ended, and Felix was due to sell the furs he had accumulated. Winter was coming and the wealthier folk didn’t mess with such things as hunting for their own game, so the market was prime for his stock. Nobody wanted to bear the winter furless.

Upon reaching town, he did his rounds - delivering deer hides to the local premium leather worker, an old friend of his named Minho, and mink pelts to the local dresser. By the end of the evening, he was dead tired and his horses were too. 

The hunter shacked up at his usual place, leaving his horses in a booked stable in the merchant district before he dragged his feet into the local inn. He passed out as soon as he hit the mattress, his fingers searching unconsciously for then absent wolf’s soft body. Felix woke up well rested, but he couldn’t get the nagging feeling of _wrong_ to leave his chest.

Shaking his head, he dressed hastily and carted his wares to the downtown merchant district, selling his furs, pelts, and hides as close to the docks as he could get. Felix, by the end of the day, had burnt through a little over half his stock. It was an impressive feat, considering how many deer hides the young man had stocked up this season.

Just over a month ago, Felix would have never thought he would become _overstocked_ with furs. He had been behind, almost petrifyingly low on materials and time, but with the new addition of a wolf-man to his household, he found hunting had become much easier.

Chris hadn’t been kidding when he said he used to be a hunter. The man knew his way around a bow, although it took him a few hours to get re-acclimated to holding one. After he had gotten used to it, though, he was deadly. He was only just shy of Felix’s own skills. An impressive feat, considering it was a well-known fact that the young hunter was one of the best shots in the west side of the region.

When they went hunting, Felix would lead on horseback, the wolf-man following him in his wolf form low and quiet. Upon reaching the days designated hunting grounds, Felix would dismount and tie up May, leading Chris through the forest to where they would wait out their prey. 

Sometimes Chan would shift back into Chris, the curly-haired man joining him with his borrowed bow and arrow, and other times, he would remain a wolf, leading Felix to where he could smell an animal in hiding. They made quite the pair, their unique skills and senses allowing them to make up for the other’s weaknesses.

The surplus of pelts gave Felix time to relax, enjoying his new free time to do whatever homesteading duties he had neglected over the recent months. Picking berries, preparing alcohol, sowing new seeds - you name it, Felix was prepared to do it. He would rather make than take, loathing the thought of over hunting for the sake of self gain. Nature was a powerful but fragile entity - he dared not disrupt her balance.

His favorite thing in the recent months by _far_ had to be teaching Chris how to horseback ride, though. It topped everything, watching the normally talented and charming man struggle to hold on to Tybalt even as the old horse barely reached a trot. 

“How do you do that every day?” Chris would ask, rubbing his inner thighs and knees to try to stave away the rising soreness. “My legs are killing me!”

“You get used to it,” Felix shrugged, smirking. He was glad there was at least one thing that Chris didn’t excel at. “Why, can't handle being on top?”

Chris glared at him and Felix only laughed harder, enjoying teasing the older man just a tad too much. It was endearing how frustrated the wolf-man could get when something didn’t go as he planned, the scowl on his face down-turned and miffed. 

Felix was thinking about this on his final day in town, leaning on the wooden counter-top of his market stall as business died down towards the end of the evening. He was looking forward to going back to the inn and sleeping, but honestly, he was majorly just excited to go home.

“Lix!” A voice called out, all to pleased. The hunter snapped out of his thoughts to look at whoever had called him, but he already knew who it was. Only one person called him Lix. 

“Hyunjin,” Felix greeted cordially, “Long time, no see.”

“Indeed,” the honey blonde swaggered up, leaning down on the counter to get close to Felix. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen your pretty face around town.”

“Has it?” The hunter said sarcastically, “I haven’t noticed.”

The charlatan frowned briefly, but the expression soon passed when a more mischievous expression crossed his face. Felix was immediately wary, wondering what the blonde was going to say.

“Care to come up to the tavern for a drink?” Hyunjin propositioned, “The others are dying to see you.”

“Others meaning…?”

“Minho, Jisung, Jeongin - the works.” Hyunjin’s expression softened a touch, “They’ve missed you, you know?”

Felix smiled at that. “Yeah… I’ve missed them too.”

Hyunjin hummed. “Is that a yes, then?”

Felix hummed back, pushing off of the counter and gathering the empty satchels that once held his wares. “Help me carry these to the inn and I’ll consider it.”

 

An hour later, Felix found himself in the corner of the tavern cozied up with his old friends. They exchanged stories from the past three seasons and reminisced on old ones, recalling the times when they were young and dumb (which they still arguably were).

The hunter listened with a fond smile, watching them banter and drink rather than participate. It made him happier to listen than to partake, the taste of beer on his tongue unsavory. He had bad memories in this town as much as he had good ones. It was part of the reason Felix excluded himself from society in the first place, in fact.

As Minho told the story of a drunk patron with an apparent affinity for leather socks, Felix began to zone out. He wondered how many times Chris had found himself in places like this, if ever. He wondered if he had liked it - if he liked the atmosphere, the people, the drink. The hunter became so absorbed in his thoughts that the table noticed, falling silent as they watched the boy’s face become vacant.

“Felix?” Minho asked, waving a hand in front of the hunter’s eyes. “Hello, anybody in there?”

The brunet snapped out of his stupor with a shake of his head, looking at his friends staring at him. Hyunjin, in particular, was giving him a curious look. “You okay?” Jeongin asked, brow furrowing in concern.

“Yeah. Peachy,” Felix said, pushing his flagon of beer to the center of the table. “I, uh, think I’m going to turn in for the night.”

“Really?” Jisung frowned. He didn’t want to see his old friend go after seeing him for barely two hours, “But the night just began!”

“I need to leave early in the morning,” the hunter excused. “You know how it is.”

His same-age friend pouted, “Can I have you beer, then?”

“Knock yourself out, Sungie.” Felix said with a laugh. He stood, gathering his things before taking a step back from the table. As he did, Hyunjin followed suit, standing up as well. “I think I’m going to turn in as well.”

Felix frowned, “Hyunjin, if you want to stay, you can-”

“It’s fine,” the charlatan waved his hand. “I’ll walk you back.”

Felix frowned at that, already retreating towards the tavern’s double doors. Hyunjin stumbled after him, attempting to keep pace with the younger. “Walk me back, eh? You sure you’re not trying to score something else?”

“If I was, would I succeed?”

The hunter scoffed, exiting the building. “As crude as ever, I see.”

“I can’t help it, Lix.” The blonde caught him by the arm, turning him around as they stood on the dirt street. His eyes were sad. Sadder than Felix remembered. Felix didn’t push him away as he looped his arms over his shoulder, gently pulling the younger man close. 

Felix’s shoulders fell, asking softly, “What do you want from me, Hyunjin?”

The blonde smiled, “You.” The charlatan leaned in, breath ghosting over Felix’s mouth. It smelled of whiskey and lime rinds, “I’ve missed you.”

Rolling his eyes, Felix took a slow breath, letting the air roll out between his pursed lips in a slow, disappointed sigh. He could tell what Hyunjin was really after from how he was holding him. The charlatan wanted him for what he could give, not for Felix himself.

“You’ve missed my ass,” Felix said, steeling his shoulders and ripping the older man’s hands off of him with a harsh tug. “Don’t think you’re clever. I will never make the mistake of becoming involved with you again.” He took a step back, turning on the heel of his boot as he said over his shoulder, “And don’t call me Lix!”

“Lix,” The tipsy man immediately violated,  following after him with a tilt to his step. He held his hands out as if he was innocent, of all things. “Let me show you how much I’ve missed you. One night is all I ask! ”

“One night is all it took for you to betray me,” Felix spat. He looked over his shoulder, eyes as angry as a wildfire. His jaw clenched as he spoke. “Find another whore to fuck. It’s what you’re good at, isn’t it?”

“Lix-” Felix felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t hesitate to turn around, delivering a fierce right hook into Hyunjin’s red cheeks. The tipsy man was knocked to the ground, a pitiful cry leaving his mouth as he crumpled into the dirt. Felix spat at his feet.

“I said,” the hunter growled so deep even Chris would be proud, “Do _not_ call me Lix.”

Felix stared down at him, regarding the man below him with a curl to his lip, To think that he had even _considered_ entertaining Hyunjin’s words made him sick to his stomach. He wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Never again would he stoop to such a level.

Hyunjin looked up at him, muttering quiet pleas under his breath. Felix, for a moment, wondered what had happened in the past year to make the blonde so desperate to have him back. But then, Felix realized he did not care. He had no more sympathy left for the charlatan in his heart.

The hunter flipped a copper coin at the fallen man, the little metal piece bouncing off a rock with a _plink!_ Felix took a step back, quipping, “Why don’t you try thirteenth street? I hear the drabbing alleys are wonderful this time of year.” He turned on his heel, ignoring all the words thrown after him as he disappeared into the night.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Felix woke up tired and irritated. He did his best to put on a smile for the stable-master who had kindly taken in his horses for the past four days, but even then, it was difficult to bring an expression of pleasantness to his face. Only once Felix was on the road did he begin to feel any better, each league farther from the town decreasing the bad taste in his mouth bit by bit.

His lips only upturned when he finally caught sight of his property, the old oak that stuck up through the canopy designating where his territory began. He clenched his thighs around May, prompting the young horse to speed up, but only as fast as Tybalt could handle.

Felix sighed in relief when he made his way into the clearing that his cabin stood in, the _click-clack_ of his horse’s slowing steps the most beautiful sound he had heard in years. Chris waved at him from where he was chopping wood, a hefty pile of corded wood already finished beside him. 

Felix dismounted and let May and Tybalt out into the grazing pasture to let them forage, putting out a salt block and making sure the trough was filled with water for the horses. As he fetched the last bucket to fill the trough, Chris leaned up against the fence that bordered the pasture, arms crossed.

“Felix” Chris said, the smile audible in his voice. “I missed you around here,” he admitted. May whinnied at that, romping over the field to visit the wolf-man she had adjusted to and even learned to like over the past few weeks, although the same could not be said for Tybalt. The curly-haired man laughed and patted her cheek to soothe her. “I missed you too, May.”

“I’m glad to be home,” Felix said, dropping the bucket to the ground. He walked up to the fence, sighing. “I forgot how much I hated being in town.”

“Really?” Chris asked rhetorically. There was less than an hour until dark set in, the auburn glare of the sun nearing the horizon nearly blinding Felix. It made him miss the darkening of the wolf-man’s eyes and his falling smile.

The boy hopped the fence, taking a deep breath. Chris walked close behind him, a looming shadow. Felix glanced over his shoulder, looking at the older man. “How’ve the last few days been treating you?”

“Fine,” Chris answered. “It was quiet. I think the chickens are getting used to me, at least. How was the market?”

“Wonderful,” Felix smiled as they entered the house. The horses didn’t have to be stabled at night during the summer, so he thought he might as well rest now and rise late. God knows he deserved it. “Sold the whole stock.”

“Really?” Chris smiled, shucking off his boots and leaving them at the door. “You must’ve really turned on the charm, then.”

“What? Am I not charming enough on my own?” Felix teased, leaning up against the living room wall. Chris shook his head, smirking as he spoke with a rumble. “Oh, you’re plenty charming.”

The hunter rolled his eyes, “It’s you saying that, though. You’re biased.”

“But I mean it - you could have this whole kingdom at your feet if you wanted to,” the wolf-man came up to him, looping his arms around his waist and pulling him off the wall. Felix let himself flow with the movement, dropping his head into the crook of Chris’ neck. “Me included.”

“I already have you…” Felix muttered to himself. He thought of how Hyunjin swayed between wanting him and throwing him to the dogs. “I couldn’t rid of you if I tried, unlike some people.”

The hunter shivered when Chris’ arms tightened around him, his curly brown hair ticking the left side of his neck where the wolf-man had slotted his head. Felix let himself close his eyes, enjoying the physical contact. It was one of the first hugs he had had in, well… years. He missed things like this.

Chris’ demeanor changed, though. Felix felt it - how his arms stiffened, how the hairs on his nape raised, how his content hums had morphed into low rumbles - and he knew something was wrong. 

“Did you miss me that much?” Felix said jokingly, lifting his head from the wolf-man’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Chris only shook his head and said nothing, instead taking another inhale of Felix’s scent. When Felix brought up a hand to coax him back, the wolf-man growled. He backed them up a few steps, pushing Felix back into the wall, nearly knocking the breath out of the archer.

“Chris!” Felix said, his tone losing it’s characteristic playfulness. “What’s wrong?”

Chris growled again, but this time it slowly turned into a high, whistling whine. “You don’t smell like yourself,” he said. “You smell like other men.”

Felix furrowed his brow, “Oh?” That sentence was a bit of a red flag. He let his hand fall to his side as Chris pushed him harder into the wall, bringing them together with barely any room between their bodies. The wolf-man growled and the hunter felt a shiver run down his spine. “I can smell their want.”

 _Ah,_ Felix thought to himself. _So, he’s jealous._

_Interesting._

“Is that a problem? Am I not allowed?” Felix asked. When Chris didn’t answer with anything but another whine and growl, he probed again. “Does it bother you? Do you not like it when I smell of other men?”

The wolf-man shook his head, “I hate it... but...”

"But what?"

"You're allowed to do what you want."

“Aw,” Felix laughed at that. It was amusing how Chris couldn’t tell him anything but the truth, he thought, bringing up his hand to lack it in the brunet’s hair. The wolf-man was honest even if it caused him pain. He stroked the man's curly locks, tilting his head. “How cute.”

“It’s not cute,” Chris growled, pulling away so that they were nose to nose. Felix tightened his grip in Chris’ hair, a gasp slipping out of the stronger man’s throat.

“I beg to disagree,” Felix said as he pulled his hair, guiding the wolf-man’s face to his neck with his hand tight in his hair. He shivered, feeling the man let his lips meet the archer’s skin. “If it bothers you so much, do something about it.”

He felt Chris’ chest rumble, his grip tightening on the smaller man’s waist as he pulled them hip to hip. It was the closest they’d been since Felix originally found the wolf-man freezing and dying in the creek, but this time, there was a delicateness to it. Chris was intense, but he wasn’t forceful. His hands gripped him tight enough to keep him in place but not to bruise, as if he was afraid of hurting Felix.

It made Felix confident knowing that he could pull away at any given time. He could tell the man to piss off and go outside and he would, but Felix didn’t want that. He wanted to be right where he was, chest to chest and crotch to crotch with his breath on his neck and his hands on his skin.

When Felix moaned at the pressure, Chris became bolder. The wolf-man was no longer rubbing his scent off of Felix but imbuing him with it, lips running up and down his neck as his hands rubbed up and down his sides. He nipped his neck, almost hard enough to leave marks, but not quite. Felix shivered again when his fingers ran across his rib cage, arching his spine forward to push him as close as he could possibly be to the man-wolf.

As Felix rolled his hips, Chris lifted his head up. He looked at the hunter, making eye contact through their eyelashes, this noses bumping together as they exchanged breaths. Felix’s eyes dropped down to the man’s lips and… _fuck._

_I give up._

The hunter leaned forward, letting his hands guide the wolf-man to his lips. As they kissed, he stopped rolling his hips, instead putting all of his effort and attention into kissing the brunet senseless. He nipped his bottom lip, drawing out a deep moan from the broad man. He felt his dick twitch as he rutted down onto Chris' thigh, making the older man gasp as he bit his lip and dragged it between his teeth. God, if he thought he missed hugging, he really, _really_ missed kissing.

Felix broke away with a content sigh, lidded eyes rolling shut as Chris resumed kissing his neck. His breaths became slower and labored, wanting nothing more than for Chris to just _bite_ him already. Instead of voicing this want, he let himself be manipulated by the other man, enjoying the lingering hands and lips that worshiped his body. Their pace slowed until they were just standing there, the hunter’s head back against the wall with closed eyes as Chris held him, content with his new, lupine scent.

The hunter opened one eye after he recovered, no longer thinking with his dick. "You happy now?"

"Very," the wolf-man answered, bending Felix's head down so that he could kiss his forehead tenderly. A soft smile rose to the hunter's lips.

“I’ll take you with me next time I go to town,” Felix promised, “If you behave well.”

“What qualifies as good behavior?” Chris asked, "Certainly it doesn't involve pinning you to walls."

"Mm, I'm not so sure about that." The hunter shrugged with a smirk. “We’ll see.”

 

Things changed between them from then on. Their mutual attraction had been acted upon and it was hard to go back from that. The tension grew with each passing day, the want for more always on their minds - but, Felix, once again, did not indulge. He relapsed into his sadistic habits of push and pull - giving Chris a taste, but not the full meal. 

He wanted to draw it out. He wanted to see Chris snap. There was something just so _delectable_ about having power over something so _dangerous._

They continued to go on hunts together, Felix giving Chris a peck on the lips and telling him how good he was for a job well done. The wolf-man would blush at the praise and whine as he walked away but he would follow him regardless, trailing after him in his wolf form all droopy-eyed like a love-sick puppy. Felix had too look away when he made faces like that, the urge to lay him flat and ride him right then and there almost nauseating. 

His biggest turn on was being wanted - romantically, not sexually. When someone pursued him so innocently like that - watching him with wanting, smiling eyes - it made a warm feeling blossom in his stomach. His brain would always spiral down through out-of-reach fantasies like proposals or confessions or anything along the lines of sincere devotion. Felix wasn't going to lie - marital sex was probably his biggest fantasy, but it was also the one that seemed the most unattainable. 

The farthest they’ve gone was a little heavy making out. It had started with a small kiss when they were heading to bed, then that small kiss had turned into a deeper one when Chris found the way that Felix scrunched up his nose a _little_ too cute. From there they fell deeper, deeper, and deeper until they were almost tongue fucking on the sofa. Chris' hands found their way under the hunter’s shirt, unbuttoning it and letting it fall from his shoulders and expose his toned, weathered chest and stomach. He let his hands run over him, gasping into his mouth when his thumbs flicked his sensitive nipples.

Felix put a stop to it when he felt his dick twitch, hardening against Chris’ own through their pants as they frotted. He pushed up and off of him, departing reluctantly with a thin string of saliva connecting their bruised lips. He didn’t want to go that far yet. The hunter wanted to wait. After all, good things come to those who do.

The mood teetered some days between lustful and romantic, and as much as the concept of the latter made Felix simultaneously uncomfortable (mostly due to his own insecurities) and horny, he… he didn’t loath the thought. Maybe he could learn to embrace it, with time. 

Felix had been passive for so much of his life - always the one to beg, to plead, to ask for forgiveness - but no longer. He used to whore himself out for money, giving himself to almost anyone willing to pay enough. He was soft, then. Far too forgiving. Far too sweet. But Felix wouldn't say he was ashamed. No, he was proud of his past. He did what he had to and it made him into the person he was today. The hunter had discovered a new part of himself when he first began to live in the woods: a dauntless, fearless part of his soul that let him thrive off the land. He had left his helpless self behind long, long ago.

He understood now that he should take help when it was offered and that he should give help if he could, but to never sacrifice himself for either. If receiving help would indebt him unreasonably, he should reject it. If giving help was too risky, he should opt to keep to himself. 

Felix was scared. He knew that. It was the classic tail of a damaged, fragile princess who had to be healed by a dashing, chivalrous prince. Every detail was the same except Felix was certainly no fragile princess and Chris was certainly no prince, and much as Felix liked Chris, he did not know who he was. Not really, although he had a good idea of it.

But then again, he thought he knew who Hyunjin was, too, and look where  _that_ got him.

He wanted to wait and see who Chris really was. If he wanted the hunter to change, then he would tell him to get lost and never come back. Felix liked who he was now. No, he was _proud_ of who he was now. He wasn’t going to let anyone change that - especially a lover.

It made him wonder, some days, why he helped Chris. Every time he thought back to the day he pulled the wolves body from the creek, his mind provided a different reason. Maybe it was the puppy dog eyes, or how he recognized a part of himself in the creature. Maybe it was simply because he didn’t have the strength.

He wondered about this as he sat on Chris’ lap on the sofa with his back on the armrest. He was carving a little wooden bear as the wolf-man watched with his left hand resting on Felix’s shin, each cut of the knife making another curl of wood fall away and land on the floor silently. He sighed.

“What are you thinking about?” Chris asked, rubbing his thumb back and forth of Felix’s leg. “That’s the fifth time you’ve sighed in ten minutes?”

“Really?” Felix raised an eyebrow. He thought he was more subtle than that. “Maybe I’m sick,” he said sarcastically.

“Very funny,” Chris deadpanned. The wolf-man reached out a hand, stroking Felix’s newly cut hair. “What’s going on in there?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know…” Felix grumbled.

“I would,” Chris said. “I care about what you think. If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I won’t tell a soul.”

“There’s not a soul around you could tell it to.”

The wolf-man frowned, “Felix.”

The hunter took a deep breath, setting down the half-finished carved bear. He adjusted himself in Chris’ lap, turning to look at him in the eye. He decided to humor him. “I was thinking about you... I realized I don’t know you as well as I should, considering you’ve been living with me for well over a month.”

“Well, what would you like to know?” The wolf said, bringing his hand back up to stroke his hair. Felix leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and enjoying the sensation.

“You said you weren’t always a wolf,” Felix began, “What happened?”

Chris took a deep breath, thinking. His hand stilled in the hunter’s hair briefly before resuming. “I used to live up north. Things got rough one year and the wolves were starving, and… I got bit. I thought I was fine until I blacked out and woke up leagues away from my hometown as a wolf.”

“You weren’t able to stay?”

“The townspeople weren’t too keen on having me around,” Chris explained. “I was a lot twitchier when I first turned. They probably thought I was addicted to something.”

Felix frowned, “And no one thought to help you?”

“Who would?” Chris sighed. “Northerners aren’t nearly as giving as you southern folk.”

The brunet hummed in response. “Did it take long to get used to it?” Chris shook his head, “Not long at all. I prefer being a wolf, though. It was easier.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” the wolf-man answered. “I found a normal pack and ran with them for a while. Everything about wolves is simpler than humans - we don’t need to talk or pretend to like each other or drink alcohol like it’ll solve all out issues. You just… exist.”

“It sounds freeing,” Felix commented. He frowned upon realizing that Chris had been alone when he had found him. “Why did you leave?”

“I didn’t.” Chris said with finality.

“But you were alone when I found you.”

“Like I said: living as a wolf is simple.” The wolf-man said, “I got trapped and they couldn’t get me out. They moved on. The end.”

Felix’s heart broke as he watched Chris look away, gritting his teeth as he recalled the moment the last wolf in his pack turned around and walked away. He withdrew his hands from Felix’s hair.  “It’s my fault that I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“No,” Felix said. He sat up, legs on either side of the man’s lap. “No, don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Felix, it’s alright,” the older man soothed. “I’m over it.” Felix frowned and the wolf-man forced a smile to his lips, “Really, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. They left because they needed to move on. No one… no one wants to watch a friend die.”

“I suppose. I’m still mad, though…” Felix said genuinely. “You’re lovely. I don’t know how anyone could just let you die.”

“They’re wolves, Felix.” He said. The hunter just frowned in response. “They didn’t have a choice, but I appreciate the sentiment.” He sighed, “Do you… do you have any lighter questions?”

That brought a slow smile to Felix’s face, his eyes glittering with mischief. Chris found himself becoming weary but excited, wondering what he was going to ask. When the hunter made faces like that, Chris knew he was in for it. “Mm, I can think of a few,” Felix said with a smirk. He paused, dropping his teasing tone and tilting his head. He wanted this to be serious. “Have you ever had sex? Or had a partner?”

Chris raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Have I ever had sex?”

“Mhm,” Felix affirmed with a nod and a slight shrug. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’ll understand.”

“No, it’s fine. Just wasn’t expecting that, is all.” Chris shook his head. Felix tilted his head and quirked a brow. “So?”

“So what?”

“Have you ever had sex?” Felix repeated, watching as the older man struggled to answer. “Yes or no.”

“No,” Chris answered quickly. “I haven’t. I haven’t had any partners, either.”

“Oh… Why? If you don’t mind me asking, of course. I don’t want to pry,” Felix questioned. Chris was taken aback almost by the intensity of it, but the hunter needed to know. He wanted to know where they stood in relation to each other. He wanted to know why Chris looked so reluctant to answer. 

The wolf-man answered slowly. “Because…” he paused, looking just to the side of Felix’s eyes, “Wolves mate for life.”

The hunter’s eyes widened a fraction, his voice nearly cracking as he spoke. “For life?”

 _That’s… intense,_ The rider thought to himself, his cheeks reddening slightly.  _And of course it feeds into my fucking marital kink._

“For life,” Chris nodded, looking back up to meet the brunet’s eyes. “I’m unmated, so I haven’t had sex. I was turned when I was young, too, so I had never had sex before then. I’ve never found anyone I was interested in courting before.”

“And even when you’re a human you still follow those rules?” Felix asked hopefully.

“They’re less _rules_ and more _instincts._ ” The wolf-man clarified. He coughed, shifting about. “But, yes, that is the gist of it.”

“Hm…” Felix hummed to himself. He wanted to ask something more but he wondered if it was crossing a line. Looking at the wolf-man, he weighed the options. If he was reading this right, it couldn’t be _that_ risky…

“How does courting usually go?” The brunet asked as he lifted himself, bringing his legs around to bracket Chris’ hips, his knees on either side of his thighs. He did his best to keep it innocent, sitting on his lower thighs and knees, unmoving - but the implication was there. Shy enough to entice, but not to invite.

Chris’ hands twitched at his side. Felix knew how badly he wanted to touch him, but he never would. He always held back and waited for the slighter boy’s permission, his eyes delving into Felix’s own. “It’s a little like this, if I’m honest,” he tilted his head, “During courtship, you rarely separate. You’re always near each other or touching. You hunt together. Eat together and feed each other. Mate.”

Felix smiled, “Seems like we’ve already checked off a lot of items on that list.”

“We have,” the wolf-man whispered. Felix hummed, wrapping his arms around Chris’ shoulders. “One more question…” He tilted his head, watching as the broader man’s eyes zeroed in on his exposed neck. “Can human’s mate with your kind, or do you have to mate with one of your own?”

Chris shook his head, barely able to pull his eyes away from the hunters bare skin. “Yes,” he whispered, “We can mate who we want to.”

“Interesting.” The hunter leaned forward, forgoing the rest of the questions lingering in the back of his mind. He sighed, enjoying how Chris felt underneath him - solid and warm. Chris sighed into his ear, relaxing into the full-body contact. “Chris?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to go on a hunt tomorrow?”

“I thought we had already met this weeks due…” The wolf-man muttered. Felix chuckled.

“Why do you think I’m asking?” Felix simpered, his lips spreading into an amused grin. Chris shivered underneath him and that was all Felix needed to know that his assumption had been right.

 

* * *

 

The next day was rainy and damp when they left the following morning for the forest. They decided to leave on foot, forgoing their horses in favor of being alone together. This meant that they would have to resort to unusual hunting strategies, such as free-climbing trees, but the hunter didn’t mind. It had been a while since he hadn’t used a tree-stand, after all.

Soon enough the fog faded, getting replaced by a slight drizzle and an oddly sunny sky. The hunter had been raised to believe that was a good thing - his mother had always told him that the mix of weather meant that a witch was getting married. He liked to believe that the rain and shine was a sign that he was doing the right thing.

The path was muddy, his boots sinking in and making gross sucking noises each time he lifted a foot. They ended up deviating from the path, wanting to make as little noise as possible. The forest floor gave him the cushioning needed to be silent, as well as providing enough structure for his feet to not sink in with every step.

Chan followed behind him, his nose stuck up low to the ground as they tracked a scent trail through the thick brambles. They must have traveled for at least forty five minutes before they found a good place to stop, Chan whining to tell Felix _“here.”_

Felix nodded. He removed his cloth belt, using it to help himself climb up a nearby tree that had a good place to perch. Wrapping the belt around the tree, he put his feet on the trunk, climbing up the normally unclimbable tree with a practiced ease. He sighed in relief when he finally got to a suitable height, perching safely on a semi-dry branch.

From his vantage point he watched Chris shift back into his human form, a shock of white skin against dark green and earthy browns. Felix, realizing he forgot to toss down the man’s set of clothing, whistled. Chris looked up, grabbing the bag that contained his pants, shirts, and arm guard when the hunter tossed it down as well as the bow and quiver of arrows that Felix had left at the bottom of the tree. They hadn’t bothered with boots, the wolf-man perpetually preferring bare feet.

He gestured across the clearing to where there was another suitable tree. Chris nodded, avoiding stepping in the clearing and beginning to climbing up it after stringing his bow and putting on his clothes. The curly-haired man scaled the tree with strength rather than grace, eventually situating himself at a level just above Felix’s own.

The hunter gave him a smile and the older man gave him a little wave in response, laughing silently to himself. Since the previous evening, Chris had been noticeably happier. It affected Felix more than he cared to admit to see him so happy because of something he suggested. 

They waited there for hours, keen eyes watching the clearing and the surrounding woods. Felix’s eyes remained alert the entire time, not losing focus even to glance at the man across the clearing who had recently been the sole focus of his thoughts. He was in a trance, almost, his body going on autopilot to scan the forest floor below, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

A _crack_ resonated through the air, the first warning of the incoming herd of deer. Felix notched an arrow and watched in the direction he had heard the noise from. Chris did the same, his own bow lifted to his eye-line, his drawing arm ready.

They remained perfectly silent, waiting. Five minutes passed before the first one entered the clearing. It was a fawn, probably born only two of three months earlier. It’s presumed sibling trailed after it, slightly smaller and female. The rest of the herd soon followed, four does in a line - a larger group than Felix normally sees in these parts.

The last doe was limping, her back right leg injured. Felix nodded at the last deer, telling Chris which one they were after. The older man nodded back in affirmation, drawing his bow and tracking it carefully.

Felix drew his bow as well, waiting for a clear shot to present itself. He held his breath as the lead female bent down to eat some fallen fruit, the rest of them following, but he couldn’t get a clear shot. Chris frowned, dealing with the same predicament.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the distance. It took Felix a split second to understand what it was: a _crack_ from a falling tree - but the deer didn’t know that. The deer immediately perked up, running out of the clearing. Felix decided he was going to risk a shot, going in all-or nothing.

He manipulated his body, standing up and bracing himself against the trunk of the tree with his back to a branch. The hunter drew back his bow, aiming ahead of the deer as it bolted from the clearing and cut to the side of thick barrier of brambles. He let go of the arrow, watching it sail and praying that it would meet its mark.

Chris loosed an arrow as well, missing the target by mere feet. But Felix? Felix hit it dead in the eye.

A moment of silence passed, the unbelievable shot stunning the both of them before Felix’s face broke out into a wide grin. It had been a long time since he had such a clean kill.

“Beautiful,” Chris complimented, his voice barely audible across the wide clearing. Felix smiled to himself when he heard him, descending the trunk of the tree slowly and with care. He met the older man on the ground, walking close with him to the site of the kill, their arms brushing.

Chris reached up and ruffled his hair, congratulating the young man for his kill with a proud smile. Felix leaned into the touch, only separating to draw his knife and lean down my the doe.

It had died swiftly, laying completely still by the time Felix laid a hand upon its chest. He closed his eyes, thanking the Gods for their allowance and the doe for its life. After he finished his prayer, he withdrew the arrow from it’s eye, laying the sharp object to the side.

Felix prepared to field dress the deer when another idea came to mind, dark and tempting in the back of his conscious. He glanced to the side, looking at Chris who was standing next to him waiting for him to gut the dead animal.

“You said courtship involved sharing meals?” Felix asked. Chris’s brow furrowed slightly, confused. “Yes?”

“Would you like to?”

“I-” Chris frowned, skeptical. “You mean back at the cabin, right?”

Felix shook his head, “Nope.”

“Oh, so…” The wolf-man pointed at the deer. “You want to eat it now…?”

“Yes,” Felix smiled, glad Chris had caught on. The man’s jaw dropped slightly, his cheeks flushing lightly as he thought of Felix doing… that. Eating like a wolf. Messy. Bloody. It should make his stomach turn. He knew it would have made him sick to think about as a human, but now…

Chris wasn’t going to lie. It was pretty hot.

“Alright,” the wolf-man breathed, kneeling down next to Felix. “What are you going to do with the rest of it, though?”

“Bear bait,” Felix answered simply. His face flushed as he formulated his next question, “Would you… would you like to shift? I assume… I assume it’ll be easier to bite into it like that.”

Chris gulped, enraptured by the coy but undaunted expression on the younger man’s face. He was so slight but so deadly, seemingly innocent but in reality far from it. He wondered what Felix had seen, what he’d been through, how he had become so willing to just exist like an animal. It was times like that made Chris wonder if Felix was the wolf-man instead of himself.

“Yes,” Chris responded eagerly, already stripping and dropping down to his hands and knees. Before he knew it, he was walking around as a wolf, four paws on the earth as he circled the dead deer. Felix laid a hand on his scruff, encouraging the lupine creature to take the first bite.

He growled at the touch, resisting the urge to snap at his hand as he dug into the doe’s stomach, covering his muzzle in a deep, dark crimson. He settled into a rhythm, enjoying his first meal as a wolf in months with a slowly rising sense of contentment. 

After eating a fair share, he looked up at the brunet boy next to him who was so focused on watching him eat. He glanced between the deer and the hunter, using his snout to encourage the boy to eat.

Felix took a slow breath as he drew his knife, skinning a portion of the haunch of the deer and removing a clean sliver of meat. It was thin and red as he let it drip, watching the excess blood trail down his arm and fall onto the ground.

 _I've eaten raw food before,_ the hunter told himself. _It’s just like venison tartare, right? Plenty of people eat that._

He lifted the raw venison to his mouth, swallowing down the last of his lingering fear and queasiness as he let it touch his tongue.

It felt and tasted like how he expected - a rich, savory slipperiness that both appealed to him and made him sick. Logically, he knew this could make him sick, but he also knew that he really wanted to impress Chris. He didn’t know why, but he wanted him to be proud of him. Chris had put in so much effort to adapt to the human lifestyle and Felix wanted to return that gift.

The wolf watched as the young man ate, watching his body quiver before he got used to the sensation. Felix closed his eyes and let out a slow, relieved breath. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought. In fact… he kinda liked it.

“I’m only going to eat a little bit,” Felix said when Chan nudged his side, telling him to eat more. It was only polite to eat in turns - especially during courting. “I don’t want to die from food poisoning, asshole.”

Chan whined, the hunter interpreting it as _“It was your idea!”_ even if he had no clue what he was actually saying. Felix raised an eyebrow as he scratched under the the animal's chin, placating the wolf-man. He whined again, pawing at the corpse with a dramatic toss of his head.

“Alright, alright…” Felix said, cutting off another isolated piece of meat. He didn’t want anything that had touched the cavern the wolf had carved into the doe. He ate it, not bothering to let the blood drain. He opened his mouth, showing the lupine creature his bloody but empty mouth. “There. You happy?”

Chan’s tail wagged, licking the side of Felix’s face affectionately. “Gross, you smell disgusting…” Felix complained around his laughter, “Come on, shift back - I need help dragging the deer to the clearing.”

Chan acquiesced, shifting back in front of Felix with a crackle of bones and the whisper of shifting skin. The hunter wiped his mouth on his bare arm and sheathed his knife, about to bend down to begin dragging the deer back to the clearing when Chris caught him by the waist.

“Ah-” Felix yelped, caught off guard as the older man yanked them together and sealed his mouth over his. He kissed him deeply, tasting the blood of the kill on the human’s lips. When he broke away, he spoke softly. “Thank you. For accepting both parts of me.”

Felix smiled gently, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Believe me, most people wouldn’t.”

“So I’m special, then? For eating raw meat?”

Chris whined, rubbing his scent of Felix’s neck. “Yes. It meant a lot to me. It made me feel normal, although you probably shouldn’t do that ever again. I like you better healthy than sick.”

“I agree,” Felix smiled fondly, wrapping his arms around the older man’s torso. “And no problem,” he whispered. “I know what it’s like to be an outcast. I respect you a lot.”

“I as well,” Chris said back.

They stood there in the woods for an unknown amount of time, swaying back and forth and simply enjoying the contact. Felix rubbed his face into Chris’ neck even if he didn’t have the need to, reciprocating the sweet action of trading pheromones. He thought he would feel overwhelmed liking someone this much, but instead he felt content. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about how happy he was, the constant worry of _betrayal_ always lingering in the back of his mind.

He didn’t have to say anything - his body did the work for him by tensing up and becoming stiff. Chris knew enough from how Felix acted and spoke that his past was rough at best. The wolf-man did his best to non-verbally convey his support, kissing him softly behind the ear and curling his hands gently in and out of his short brown hair. He squeezed him in the hug, refusing to let go until Felix was reassured and ready to let go by himself.

Eventually, the hunter peeled away from him, looking down at the desiccated dead deer. He smirked, “You’re a messy eater.”

“How the fuck else am I supposed to eat?” Chris responded, mock-angry. Felix laughed as the wolf-man clapped him on the shoulder, bouncing away to dodge the strike. He continued laughing, feeling much better emotionally as he told him to, “Put some damn clothes on.” Chris countered with a roll of his eyes, The hunter watching him fondly as he shimmied on his pants, thinking about how the older man had become more human over the past weeks and how he himself had become more wolf-ish.

After he finished dressing, they dragged the carcass over to the clearing and laid it in the center. Felix would return later - probably the following morning - with sweeter things like honey to add to the bait but the meat would do for now. 

The hunter sighed, wiping his brow of sweat before grabbing his bow and slinging it over his chest. Chris followed after him as they exited the clearing and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, walking with their sides nearly glued together. They had walked into the woods as two separate people, but when they left, they walked out as one - a pair of two people more alike than different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not my best work, but I tried :( I wanted to show how Felix were essentially becoming more like the other, both consciously and unconsciously. This was really hard for me to write, and researching for eating raw venison was... interesting at best. I hope y'all like it more than I do asdfghjkl.
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for reading!! Expect the next chapter in 1-2 weeks :) And as always, feedback is MUCH appreciated.
> 
> p.s my twitter is [sungnsfw](https://twitter.com/sungnsfw)


	3. The Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hunter and a werewolf walk into a bar...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE shout out to C (@chanskittenmin on twitter) for betaing this fic for me! It would literally be a trash fire with a million typos without them!!! Also, I'm kinda sad this fic is over because I really loved writing it, but oh well... At least it's finished and people can (hopefully) enjoy it in full now :)
> 
> p.s - read C's fic Take Me to the Pilot, cowards.

** Part Three - The Change **

Chris wasn’t dumb. He knew what Felix was doing - but he had to wait. 

 He couldn’t just jump in and ask him to commit no matter how badly Chris wanted to. Felix had showed him numerous times how much commitment scared him, through both body language and their late-night conversations, so he knew that, in all honesty… he had to wait. If he didn’t, he would lose what they had now which was at least _something._  

And Chris _really_ did not want to give that up, especially not for something as selfish as not wanting to wait. He’d only known him for, what, a few months now? The leaves were just starting to turn into shades of red and gold, so it had to be at least a few months. He wasn’t sure. Chris hadn’t touched a calendar since he became a wolf-man. 

The brunet man stared at the line of his companion’s back, at how his shirt ghosted around his shoulders and made the slighter boy look frailer than he actually was. It was beautiful, Felix’s duality. His strengths were hidden within his weaknesses, comparable to nature herself. 

He was the cold when the breeze blew, but also the warmth once the wind stopped. 

He was as stubborn as slate, but he kept the ground steady under everyone else’s feet. 

He was unforgiving like sheets of rain, but beautiful in his own right - life-giving and necessary. 

The wolf-man needed him. Deep down, he knew he had to stand by him. His urge to stay was no longer from a feeling of life-debt, but instead from his knowledge of who Felix was: someone worth staying for. 

Chris continued to watch him; his admiration was clear as day as he sewed up the hem of his shirt. It was one of the three he had, all three of them hand-me-downs, but gifts nonetheless, from Felix. His earlier sworn promise to mend them was being conducted haphazardly, sticking himself in the fingers more than a few times as he watched Felix sort through old supplies. 

Seven Gods, he couldn’t get him out of his head. Felix, ever since Chris had taught him about the mating rituals and courtship habits of wolves, had become… different. At first, Chris thought it was sweet - and he still does, too - but lately, the younger boy had become more… devious. 

Felix, in addition to their hunts together, made sure that Chris _knew_ he was attracted to him. He made passing statements during everyday activities that made Chris want to beg him right then and there to let him mate him, giving him short kisses as rewards and letting Chris mark him with his scent every morning when they woke up. It was dizzying how he could switch from _incubus_ to _angel_ within minutes as if he wasn’t teasing Chris to death. 

But he wasn’t going to lie. The younger man _owned_ his sexuality, and he knew how to use it to make Chris more vulnerable than he had felt in his entire life. 

“Fuck!” Chris cursed as he accidentally stabbed himself. A drop of blood fell onto the fabric, and Chris quickly tucked the fabric in his mouth, trying to reduce the stain. “Damnit, fuck…” 

“You good over there?” Felix asked without taking his eyes off his own task, only semi-concerned. “I’m hearing a lot of cursing.” 

“It’s nothing,” Chris answered, inspecting the now pink splotch on the shirt. “Just made a few mistakes, is all.” 

“Oh? And what’s got you so distracted?” The younger man said with a knowing voice. “I’m not bothering you, am I?” 

“Not in the slightest,” Chris lied, full of shit. Felix was the _only_ reason he was distracted. He could hear the smirk in the brunet’s voice as he spoke. “Oh really?” 

“Yes, really,” he huffed, still scrubbing at the shirt. “You’re handsome, but you’re not enchanting.” 

 _Another lie._  

“You’re right. I’m bewitching,” Felix said, glancing at the wolf-man over his shoulder. “It’s why you can’t keep your bloody hands off me,” he nodded down to Chris’ bleeding finger, “Pun intended.” 

“Can you blame me?” 

“I don’t know. If I’m just _handsome_ , then I guess I _can_ blame you.” He shrugged as he put away the now organized supplies, nonchalant. “You have poor self-control, Channie.” 

“Me? Poor self-control?” Chris snorted, “You sure you aren’t thinking of someone else?” 

“Not at all,” Felix shook his head, continuing as Chris walked over to join him in his alcove, “If I remember correctly, you were the one who pinned me to the wall and smeared yourself all over me.” 

“My nose is sensitive!” 

“Yeah, and so is my dick.” The younger boy laughed, “You don’t see me rubbing that on you, do you?”

Chris leaned on the table. “... to be fair-” 

“Eh...” 

“-you definitely _have_ grinded on me-” 

“Sorry, don’t recall.” 

“-so I’m rather inclined to say you _have_ rubbed your dick on me,” Chris concluded, “just through pants.” 

“Sounds like a lie,” Felix shoved the boxes away on top of the other miscellaneous crates in the storage closet. “But if you’re so willing to prove you gave good self-control, then why don’t we make a bet?” 

 _Incubus,_ Chris thought. 

“Do tell,” Chris said. 

Felix smiled at that, but his smile had lost its characteristic warmth. He looked colder, his face blank and unreadable as he walked towards his bedroom. The wolf-man followed him, curious as to what exactly the younger man would propose. He was about to follow Felix into the bedroom when the brunet stopped him, holding a hand to his chest and preventing him from entering as he leaned against the door frame. 

“Get the shirt,” Felix commanded. Chris frowned, “Alright?” He retrieved the shirt, frowning in confusion. What was he going to ask of him? 

Felix took a step back into his room, his left hand on the handle of the door. He hesitated before speaking. 

“You’re going to sit out here and you’re going to fix the shirt you tore. If you don’t, I’ll know you weren’t able to focus.” 

Chris raised a brow. “That’s… it? I have to sew what I was already sewing?” 

“You’ll see,” Felix said. Chris caught a small glimpse of his lips curling up into a smirk before he shut the door in the wolf-man’s face, the lock clicking shut. Through the door, Felix’s voice was muffled, but his words were clear as day. _“Or should I say you’ll hear?”_  

A shiver ran down the wolf-man’s spine, his hand hovering just over the handle of the door. He wanted to open it so badly - to follow right after him - but he couldn’t. If Chris was anything, he was a man of pride. He wasn’t going to lose that easily. 

So, he sat down. He gathered the shirt and the thread and needle, and he began sewing. He focused on his task, watching the thin metal slide through the tiny gaps in the fabric. 

 _In - out - pull. In - out - pull._  

And then he heard the first moan, and his concentration was broken. His hands shook as he continued stitching, willing himself to look at what he was doing rather than closing his eyes and imagining the pretty faces that Felix was probably making to match the sounds. 

Once he noticed it, too, it was all he could hear. No longer could he hear any of the bugs and animals chirping and croaking outside, just Felix and his high whines, breathy gasps, and low moans. It was torturous. 

 _“Chris!”_ He heard Felix gasp through the door, the fast rustling of his bed hinting towards his thrashing and writhing. Chris could only imagine what was going on in the other room. 

The wolf-man tipped his head back, his head knocking into the door as he listened. He bit his lip, his needle stilling as he closed his eyes and wished he was in there with him. He wanted to run his tongue all over him and grip his hips and make him make all those pretty noises. Chris wanted to be the one responsible for making him moan. 

But he wasn’t, so instead, he opened his eyes and kept sewing stitch after maddening stitch. No matter how badly he wanted to go into that room, he would do what Felix had asked. 

 

As the sounds faded, Chris found himself slowly lulled to sleep. He wasn’t sure if he had permission to enter so he stayed outside, sewing until he couldn’t anymore. When he woke up it wasn’t due to natural causes but because he felt the door he was propped up against move out from behind him. He scrunched up his nose as he slumped to the floor, groaning as hit head hit the ground. It only mildly hurt, but still - it wasn’t a fun way to be woken up. 

“What the…?” He mumbled to himself, opening his eyes and blinking away their bleariness. A blurry figure was standing above him, a pillow clutch to their chest. “Lix?” 

“Hey, Chris.” Felix answered back softly. He squatted, letting a hand drift through the older man’s messy hair. “I’m cold.” 

The wolf man frowned, sitting up. “Cold?” 

“Yeah,” Felix stood and walked into his room. He left the door open, glancing back at the man on the floor. He shrugged. “You can come in, if you want.” 

“Oh?” Chris’ sleep addled brain was unable to understand English at the moment. “Oh, yeah. Okay.” 

He followed him, tired feet stumbling slightly as he stood up. He entered the room and was about to shift before Felix stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Can you… can you stay human? At least for a little bit?” 

Chris was caught off guard. Normally, Felix insisted that he shifted. It made him uncomfortable if he didn’t. The action of laying with someone in his own bed was a trigger for his anxiety. It was a hint among the many Chris had gathered that Felix had gone through something in his past - something bad. 

“Of course…” Chris complied, “Do you want me to give you some distance?” 

Felix thought for a moment, gulping. 

 _Something is wrong,_ Chris thought. 

“Yes.” 

The wolf-man lied down about a foot from him, watching as the hunter settled into bed with stiff shoulders and hard eyes. It was an expression he had rarely seen of his face, save for the time he had told him off for calling him _“Lix”_ or if he ever grabbed him too hard when he was over-eager. 

Chris was freaking out internally. Had he done something wrong? Was Felix going to command him to leave and say he never wanted to see him again, or was Felix preoccupied with something else? 

When Felix was finally still, his hands crossed over his stomach, Chris realized the bedside candle was still lit. Felix only left the candle on if he needed to. He hadn’t called Chris here to sleep. 

The wolf-man waited, watching the younger man’s side profile with concern. A few moments passed before Felix turned his head away from him, and at first he thought the younger was mad, but then he heard a sniffle, and then another, and then finally a sob. 

Felix was crying. 

“Fuck, sorry, I didn’t mean to-” his voice cut out, pulling a pillow over his head to hide his tears. Chris floundered, unsure of what to do. Felix didn’t want to touch him, but every instinct in the wolf-man’s chest begged to give him physical comfort. Chris settled for the middle ground, sitting up and scooting closer to his crying friend. 

“Hey, it’s okay…” He began. Chris _wasn’t_ used to comforting people. “It’s okay to cry. I don’t mind.” 

The wolf-man could hear the fabric of the pillow shift as Felix shook his head under it, the hunter’s voice coming out muffled. “No, it’s not. I didn’t want you to see me like this. I just…” 

Chris edged his hand forward, laying his hand on Felix’s back with a delicate pressure. “Why are you crying, Felix?” When the younger man shook his head again, Chris sighed, removing the pillow from where it was covering his face. He lifted the man by the hips, sitting him up straight. His heart crumpled when Felix let his head drop, burying his face in the wolf-man’s chest in order to hide his tears. 

“Felix,” Chris urged. “Look at me,” he asked, stroking the boy’s hair back from his face and cupping his jaw. The hunter stubbornly shook his head. “Felix, _please.”_  

He finally looked up, salty tears dripping down his face from his red eyes as he hiccuped and struggled to keep down his breath. The crying man dug his nails into his companion’s back, Chris reciprocating his touch with light, soft fingers. He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, attempting to gain some clarity back. 

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Chris said, “I’ll listen.” 

“I just-” The younger man took a deep breath, looking up and blinking to stop his tears. He sighed, “I started thinking about… everything. And then it all came rushing back and I couldn’t shut it out. I don’t like how I think. I don’t like how I cope. I don’t like how I treat you.” 

Chris frowned, “Are you talking about earlier tonight, or in general?” 

“I, uh - tonight was a prime example,” Felix laughed, but it was bitter. “I get into moods where I become so _sadistic_ , as if that’s going to prove something or help me feel better. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” 

“You’re not taking advantage of me,” Chris reassured. “I’d have left long ago if I didn’t like you. We’ve fought before, but that hasn’t ever put me off, and I wouldn’t say you’re sadistic. You’re simply guarded.” 

“I locked you out as I…” Felix grimaced and shook his head. “How is that not sadistic?” 

“Well, it’s not like I’m entitled to you.” He thought for a moment, “And it’s not like I haven’t heard you masturbate before.” 

Felix’s face reddened, “You’ve what?” 

“The walls are thin, and I have good hearing...” The wolf-man shrugged. He had the decency to at least appear embarrassed. Felix looked away, recalling every time Chris had heard him… _oh, Seven Gods._  

“I would leave,” Chris explained, “whenever you did. I wasn’t sure if it was torture or a blessing when you told me to stay.” 

Felix blinked up at him, “You’d leave?” 

“It felt like the respectful thing to do.” 

The hunter looked genuinely surprised at his answer. “I, um, wow… thank you.” 

Chris frowned, “Why are you thanking me?” 

“Because most people would not give someone that courtesy,” Felix explained. “Leaving was very kind of you.” 

“I would think that giving someone that courtesy was normal,” the wolf-man commented, more than confused. Felix sighed, relaxing back onto the bed. Chris laid next to him, keeping a careful distance between them. “If only more people thought like you.” 

A few moments passed in silence, the air quite besides the occasional sniffle from Felix. Chris let the younger man grab his hand, sliding closer to him until their sides were touching. He looked at the brunet when he squeezed his hand, hesitating with his life story on his tongue. 

Felix wanted to tell him - he really did - and he hoped it wouldn’t be a mistake. 

“Chris?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I tell you something?” 

“Of course.” 

And so, Felix did. 

He told the wolf-man about the death of his father, about how he began whore himself out to take care of his aging mother when he was only twelve, about how he fell in what he _thought_ was love only for it to backfire in the cruelest of ways. He told him of his mother’s death and how that was the last straw. How it was the final, driving event that made him isolate himself for good. 

Felix had wanted to be alone. He didn’t want to touch people, he didn’t want to see people, and he sure as hell didn’t want to explain himself to prying strangers who couldn’t keep their noses out of other people’s business for their damned lives. All he wanted was, for once his god forsaken life, was to have peace and quiet and no expectations. 

And he’d had that. He had that for quite a while, but then Chris showed up. 

Suddenly, he had someone in his life who didn’t know who he was or what he used to do. Chris was a blank slate - a fresh start personified - and Felix had become more than enamored with that idea. Chris was new. Chris was safe. 

But then the self-doubt crept in. Would Chris even want to stay if he knew the truth? If he knew what Felix had done, who and how many people he had slept with, or the degradation he had to go through? Would he even be able to _look_ at him? While Felix didn’t find shame in his actions, he feared that the person he had grown to admire so much would be disgusted. 

It turned out he had nothing to fear, after all. His opinion of Felix remained unchanged. He thought no less of him, and if anything, he admired him more for having the strength to remove himself from the situation entirely in order to start anew. 

“You did what you had to do,” Chris said. “I understand that.” 

The whole time Chris held his hand. The wolf-man listened patiently, stroking his knuckles of his thumb with the pad of his own. He offered reassurance, comforting him and reaffirming what Felix already knew. It wasn’t his fault. 

By the end of his story, the two of them were tangled up completely - arm over waist, head to neck, and knees against knees. Felix relaxed as Chris stroked his hair, his body remembering that it was the middle of the night, not midday. 

After some hesitance, Chris asked, “Did you love him? Hyunjin, I mean?”  

A long pause followed. 

“No,” the hunter whispered. _“You’re the first person I’ve ever loved besides my family,”_ he didn’t say. Felix laid there silent, thinking about what he wanted to say, but couldn’t. He was too scared. 

“I’m glad,” Chris admitted. “If you’d have loved him, I’m afraid I would’ve _really_ had to kill him.” 

“You’re not going to kill anyone,” Felix grumbled, “He’s not worth killing.” 

“I’d do it if you asked.” The amber-eyed man said, and when Felix asked why, he simply shrugged. He gripped Felix’s hand tightly in his own. 

“Do I need a reason?” he answered simply. 

A gradual smile broke out on Felix’s face. “I suppose not,” he sighed, “You’re strange, you know that? I don’t understand how you think.” 

“I guess devotion is in my blood,” Chris joked, scooting closer. He brushed a kiss over Felix’s forehead, peppering him with kisses until he fell asleep, cupping the hunter’s cheeks so tenderly that he couldn’t feel anything but _loved._  

Once he was asleep, Chris gently moved out of the way, sliding his arms out from under him with care. Felix, after all, hadn’t given him permission to sleep with him in his human form. He’d rather not take advantage of his vulnerability. 

He shifted, grabbing the sheets in his mouth (carefully, so as not to rip them), and placed them over the sleeping man’s body. He snuggled up to him, laying down facing Felix on his side with his paws curled up to his chest, almost like a cat. His amber eyes blinked, watching as Felix let out breaths slowly, one by one. 

 _Huh,_ Chris thought, _so this is what it feels like to be in love._  

 

“You good back there?” Felix teased over his shoulder at the older man who was currently struggling to tie back his scraggly hair while on horseback. 

Chris responded with a glare and a roll of his eyes, speaking around the band of cloth in his mouth as he tried to finger-comb his unruly curls back. “Effs awrder an et ooks.” 

The hunter laughed, “Sorry, couldn’t catch that. You might want to speak up.” 

The wolf-man removed the hairband from his mouth, sliding it back over his head as he bit out his reply of “ _Fuck off.”_ Felix simply reciprocated his earlier eye-roll, and trotted off, leaving the other man to catch up. 

They were on their way back to town, as the end of September was approaching, and the leaves were _really_ beginning to turn. Felix, as he had told Chris, aimed to take advantage of the late-season rush since this season had turned out surprisingly well with the wolf-man’s help and there were always more people looking to buy furs, especially when the first few shocks of cold weather hit. 

This time, Felix was planning to stay in town a little longer than usual, tossing out the normal 4-day schedule and extending it to a week. Rather than the usual disdain he felt upon entering the city, he felt excitement, eager to show his lover the places he had grown up and excited to introduce him to his old friends, minus Hyunjin, of course. He wasn’t in the mood for a pissing contest, nor a fight. 

Felix, on their way there, pointed out the areas he used to hunt with his father before his old man had died. They passed their old cottage, taking the horses close to get a good view of the rundown shack. It was old and rotting, but still nostalgic. 

Felix missed the days when he was a child. Through young eyes, the world had seemed so simple, and then it just suddenly… wasn’t. He wanted that innocence back. But he also wanted things as they were now. 

The sound of the horse’s hooves on the dirt was soothing, the rocking motion of the animal soothing Felix like nothing else could. He wanted to stay by Chris’ side and to listen to the birds sing in the morning sun. He wanted the candor of nature. Yeah, he wouldn’t trade anything for the bliss he was feeling then. Nothing at all.   

 

The week passed by in a near blur, when Felix reflected on it. Everything felt so _vivid_ and _fast,_ just watching Chris experience life in a bustling town with wide, semi-frightened and semi-amazed eyes enough to make the time fly by. 

Before they had gotten down to the fun stuff, they made sure to sell their stock of furs and other animal-derived items as soon as possible. It took around three days, leaving them with four to use as they wished. 

First, they cleaned up. Of course, they were relatively clean before they hit the market each day, brushing off the dirt and grime as best they could before advertising their wares, but that because it was expected. Who would trust a hunter who didn’t have a little dirt under his nails, after all? 

But brushing off and rubbing away stains wasn’t truly _cleaning_ . Cleaning was something _visceral_. Cleaning your skin didn’t just make you look nice, but it made you feel better, as if the water was cleansing you from the inside out. 

Chris had looked intimidated when they first walked up the bathhouse that sat towards the center of the town where the river cut through, his eyes wide as he smelled fire and steam. The wolf-man took a step back, shaking his head. 

“I don’t like it,” he had said, “It smells unsafe.” 

“It’s perfectly safe!” 

“Then why do I smell fire?” 

“They have to heat up the water somehow,” Felix said, grabbing his companion’s hand. “Come on - you’ll _love_ it.” 

Chris grumbled under his breath, eyeing the building distrustfully, but followed Felix anyway. Fast forward a few minutes and he was walking nearly naked into a _very_ steamy, semi-outdoor room with the only thing separating them from the outside world being a tall, dense wooden fence. He stood idle, unsure of what he was supposed to do. 

“Put you towel over here,” Felix said, gesturing over to a stone table as hunter dropped his own and rolled it up to lay it on the table. Chris did the same, watching with a furrowed brow as Felix walked into the pool of steaming water, his bare skin disappearing under the surface. 

“It’s been a long time,” Chris said, “since I’ve been in warm water.” 

Felix hummed, “You might want to get in slowly. Don’t shock yourself.” 

The wolf-man heeded his advice, slowly submerging himself rather than walking in like Felix had done. He watched as his pale skin reddened, the layers of grime and sweat disappearing into the water.  

He rubbed his hands up and down his legs, sitting on a rock on the side of the pool as he tried to clean himself off. He heard Felix laugh, looking in the direction of the brunet with a glare. 

“Here, let me help,” Felix said, already putting his hands on Chris’ legs before he could protest. The younger man stood up, leaning around Chris to grab something from behind him - a hand rag, apparently. 

The wolf-man jerked away when the rough fabric met his skin, but he let Felix manhandle him anyways, relaxing slowly as the brunet dipped the rag and scoured his skin up and down until it was clean. He repeated this process, pulling Chris down into the water to get to his arms, chest, back, and face. 

By the time he was done, Chris felt like his skin had been rendered away, the warm water and the residual, dull pain leading to a feeling of full-body numbness that made him want to fall asleep. That feeling, however, quickly vanished when Felix dumped a bucket of lukewarm water over his head. 

The wolf-man’s shoulders seized up. “Why-” 

“I’m washing your hair,” Felix answered, already knowing what he was asking. “You said you wanted to get it cut, right? Well, it needs to be clean to do that. It makes it _much_ easier, trust me.” 

The wolf-man grumbled in response but let the younger man run his fingers through his hair anyway, relaxing again as the repetitive motions soothed him. He tugged out any and all knots, using a lump of soap to remove the oil and dirt. 

“I found a twig,” Felix laughed, plucking it out of Chris’ wet curls and showing it to him. “I wonder how long that was there.” 

“Things get stuck easy,” Chris sighed. “That’s why I want it cut.” 

“I’d get annoyed if I got twigs stuck in my hair, too.” Felix chuckled, running his hands through his hair a few more times. “I’m going to pour water over your head again to get out the soap, okay? Close your eyes.” 

“Okay,” Chris answered, closing his eyes. He shut them tighter as he felt the water begin pouring over him, feeling the soap flow down his skin and dilute in the pool below. He opened his eyes only when Felix told him to, looking up the man leaning over him. 

“I can see your freckles better, now,” Chris noted. Felix’s face reddened. “Oh, well, yeah, they’re not my favorite-” 

“No,” Chris shook his head. “I like them.” 

The hunter’s face reddened again, and the wolf-man smirked, “They’re very pretty.” 

“Stop it…” Felix grumbled, sliding away from him and splashing him with water. He covered his cheeks, sinking lower into the water until he was up to his nose - as if _that_ could stop Chris from seeing him blush. “You don’t blush easy. If I’d known all it took to get you all flushed and cute was to compliment your freckles, I would have done it earlier.” 

“I will castrate you.” 

“A worthy risk,” Chris said, wading over to his reluctant companion and scooping him up in his arms. He placed him on the ledge, bracketing his waist with his legs as he ran his hands through the younger man’s brown hair. “Now, let's get you clean.” 

Scoured, scored, and red, the two men wandered around the city for the rest of their time after bathing in town completing various chores and indulging in the occasional item. While their hair was still wet, they dropped by the barber to get their locks cut. It was something Felix rarely did, preferring to spend no money and to crop his hair by himself at home, but his hair was becoming unruly and messy. It would do him good to get it cut properly. 

Chris, as well, had long hair. The last time he cut it had been, and Felix quotes, “In the woods with the sharpest rock he could find.” Needless to say, the man _really_ needed his ends cleaned up. 

By the time they left the barber, their hair was neat, orderly, and cut in a manner where it would remain nice-looking as it grows out. Felix’s hair was cropped to a mid-length, his light brown hair just long enough to tie the top out of his eyes. Chris got his cut shorter, his dark brown hair too short to tie back, instead opting to purchase a box of thin steel hair pins that helped lay the mess back flat. 

Felix had to teach Chris how to use the pins when they returned to the inn for the night, showing him how to pull the two sides of the metal apart and how to slide it into his hair. Chris was bewildered, trying numerous times on Felix before he eventually got the hang of it, one side of his hair pinned back neatly and flat. 

The hunter sighed. It felt nice to teach someone something so mundane. 

 

On their last day in town, Chris asked if they were going to go to the bar. 

“I’ve never been,” he said, “Last time I was in a city, I was far too young to even lift a cup.” 

“You’ve had beer before, though, right?” 

Chris shrugged, “... A bit.” 

A bit, as it turned out, was _a bit_ of an overstatement. Chris had only had a sip of beer _once._  

The night sky was busy casting the world in darkness as Felix cozied up next to Chris in the local tavern - the same one he had visited all those months ago when he had socked Hyunjin in the face. They talked with each other, Felix nearly crimping in half with laughter when Chris made a positively disgusted face at the flagon of beer in front of him. 

“This tastes like piss!” He said, wiping off his tongue with the back of his hand. “Gods, it just as bad as I remember. How the fuck do you drink this shit?” 

A barmaid passed, rolling her eyes. Her reaction made Felix laugh even harder, putting his face to the table and laughing into the wood as Chris slapped his back and told him to stop. 

“Didn’t think you had such a refined palate,” He wheezed out, stealing the man’s mug and taking a swig. He’d already finished his own, having hammered it back during an unusual bout of comfort around alcohol. Maybe it was because Chris was with him? Felix wasn’t sure. “You seem like more of a mulled wine kind of guy. It’s more forest-y and less… field-y.” 

Chris took his pint back. “It’s not _that_ bad, you know, if I stop trying to actually let it touch my tongue,” he said, knock the pint back and taking a few hearty gulps. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, letting out a quick sigh. “Gross, but bearable. I definitely prefer the stuff you brew at home.” 

“Mulled wine,” Felix corrected. 

Chris nodded, “Yeah, that.” 

They continued to talk, conversing about their trip and home and what they wanted to do with the homestead. Chris mentioned something about knives, contemplating ordering a custom set to subsidize Felix’s own collection, so he didn’t have to borrow from him anymore.  

Give or take forty-five minutes and another beer and a half, and Felix looked up to see none other than Jisung and Woojin swaggering in through the door. He waved to them, yelling for them to join them over the clamor of the crowded tavern. 

“Who’s this?” Jisung asked Felix, skipping all pleasantries. He looked at Chris, “I’ve never seen you in town, before.” 

“I’m not from here,” Chris answered smoothly, taking a sip of his beer (piss). “You must be Jisung, right?” 

“Oh, so you’ve been talking about me!” The bright boy said teasingly, saddling up next to the brunet. “Felix, I didn’t know I was so _important_ to you!” 

Felix bit back a smile, rolling his eyes slowly and pushing the boy back with a hand to the face. “You’re about as important to me as an old penny sterling.” 

“And _you’re_ mean enough to steal a penny of a dead man’s eyes,” Jisung retorted. 

“Jisung,” Woojin pleaded, “Settle down.” 

“I’m perfectly settled,” Jisung frowned, crossing his legs under the table and folding his hands neatly on top. “Look. Settled.” 

Woojin sighed, “Got it, now budge up.” 

Jisung scooted over, allowing the taller man to sit next to him. They introduced themselves, Chris being slightly cautious of them at first, but delighted once he learned that Woojin was the same age as him. 

“You said you’re from up North, right?” Woojin asked. 

“How could you tell?” Chris raised an eyebrow, “Does my accent show?” 

“It’s not bad,” Woojin waved off his concerns. “How’d you end up down here?” 

The wolf-man didn’t hesitate for a single second. _It’s not like he could tell him he was a bloody wolf, right?_ “Work,” Chris lied easily. It was fascinating to watch him lie, Felix thought. He didn’t seem to have a tell - but then the wolf-man reached up and rubbed his right ear, brushing away a non-existent loose lock of hair away. 

 _Never mind._  

“I see,” Woojin nodded. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by his company. Jisung leaned forward with curious eyes, “And how did you meet our Felix?” 

Chris paused and Felix swooped in before his hesitance became an awkward silence. “He got injured and I ran into him on a hunt. Fixed him up, put ‘em to work, and here we are today,” Felix sat down his flagon with a _thump._ “Plain and simple.” 

“And what romance play did you pull that plot from?” 

“The one where you’re not a nosy bastard.” 

“Can you blame me?” Jisung nodded his head towards Chris, “Being nosy in in my blood.” 

“You should join the Crown’s Guard then,” Woojin quipped, “Put your annoying habits to good use.” 

Jisung rose an eyebrow, “I’ll take _that_ as a compliment.” 

Chris watched them banter, eyes darting between the three men as they argued and joked and recalled past times together. A feeling washed over him - a feeling he hadn’t felt since he was a child, petty and small. He watched as Felix smiled and laughed, listening to Jisung tell a story with wild gesticulations. 

He felt like he should enjoy their company, but he wasn’t. Not right now, at least. It made him feel odd to watch other people make Felix so happy, the wolf-man realizing that as much as Felix may pretend he is okay with isolating himself, he probably also missed his friends. 

He felt jealous, but also conflicted. He wanted to see Felix smile, but he wanted him to smile because of _him_. Was that wrong? It was natural to want to make someone you love happy, but to want to be the center of their attention constantly? That was a little much. Chris knew that was unreasonable.  

He shook his head, trying to physically shake away his feelings of jealousy. The alcohol had probably put him in a bad headspace. 

“I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go get a pitcher of water,” Chris stood up, clarifying what he was doing when Felix looked up at him with a furrowed brow. He walked away from the table, weaving through the other tavern patrons and leaning against the bar. 

“Your boy can barely hold his liquor,” Chris heard Jisung say behind his back. 

The wolf-man smiled when he heard Felix scoff. “Says the one drinking citrus beer.” 

He tuned out their banter, standing up straighter when the barmaid finally made her way down to his end. She was about to ask him what he wanted when a hand slammed down on the table next to him, full of coin. 

“Bottle’a whiskey,” the owner of the hand demanded gruffly, “and two double shot glasses.” The woman quickly retrieved the items, slammed them down on the tabletop with a glare angled sharply at the tall man. She didn’t look pleased to see him, but poured the two cups regardless.  

Chris frowned as the man turned to him, extending a hand. The wolf-man looked at it, confused as to why he was being offered the double shot of liquor. 

“Take it,” the man said, pushing it into Chris’ hand. “I got some advice for ya’.” 

“I’m not looking for advice,” the wolf-man answered, untrusting of him. He was tall and blonde haired with a single beauty mark under one of his eyes.  For some reason, he rubbed him the wrong way. Chris felt like he was supposed to recognize him.  

“Like I care what you’re looking for or not,” the man said. Chris could smell the alcohol on his breath, watching the man sink his shot before topping up his glass again. “You know that boy you’re slummin’ about with?” He jerked his head in Felix’s direction, “Don’t trust him for shit.” 

Chris’ jaw hardened, “Don’t talk about Felix like that, asshole.” 

The black-haired man raised an eyebrow, “So he’s already gotten under your skin, huh? Tell me, how much did he charge for a country jackeen like you to shove your prick in ‘em? Or is he holding out on you?” He laughed when he saw how red Chris’ face was becoming. Little did the blonde know, the wolf-man's face was red with anger, not embarrassment. 

 _Don’t hit him, don’t hit him, don’t hit him,_ Chris chanted in his head. 

The man scoffed, shaking his head as he picked up the whiskey glass to pour himself another glass. “You should get your fill of ‘em before he spreads his ass for the next guy.” 

Chris tried to hold himself back - he really did - but this was too much. He _had_ to give this guy what he was asking for. 

Kicking a bar stool aside, Chris grabbed the man by the shoulders and threw him to the ground. The crowd around them gasped, parting like a sea as Chris pinned the loud mouth to the floor, though the shock was temporary. Within seconds, the crowd was cheering on the fight, people placing bets around them on who lose a tooth first. 

“Break his nose!” A tall, buff woman shouted.  

“Flip ‘em over, Hyunjin!” Someone else yelled out. Chris growled as he realized who the man under him was, his vision tunneling as he lifted his fist and beat down on the man below him. 

Hyunjin swung back at him, the open whiskey bottle smashing on the side of Chris’ face and lacerating his cheek, but the struggle was useless. While Hyunjin was certainly not scrawny or weak by any means, Chris was in another league entirely, his fist slamming into his face repeatedly until his knuckles were battered and bloodied. 

The fight was over as soon as it began, the match settled in a matter of twenty seconds when Woojin wrapped his arms around Chris’ waist and pulled him off the bloody and whiskey-covered man, but not before Hyunjin got in one last kick to the chest. Chris gasped, the breath knocked out of him. He remained standing despite the blow, still high on anger and adrenaline.  

But the anger didn’t last forever. 

His breathing slowed, the bloody baring of his teeth morphing into a slack expression when he realized exactly what he had done. 

“Fuck,” Chris cursed, shaking out of Woojin’s grip. He stumbled a few feet, looking at his bloody hands, touching his glass-filled cheek with a wince. “ _Fuck!”_  

“What the fuck happened?” Felix said, incredulous. He looked down at Hyunjin’s battered - but not unconscious - body and blinked in Chris’ direction. “Chris, what the fuck did you do?” 

“He deserved it,” Chris growled, recalling the things Hyunjin had said. His eyes darkened as he looked at him, the man in question sitting up slowly as someone helped him up. Hyunjin glared in his direction, still pissed, but now there was fear in his eyes. Fear of Chris.  

“You could have killed him!” Felix hissed, grabbing Chris by the shoulders. He glanced around the room, noticing all the eyes on them. “Fuckin’ hell, Chris…” 

The shorter man began dragging him towards the stairs up into the tavern loft and Chris was too tired and tipsy to refuse. He stumbled after him, the younger man ignoring his friends concerned questions as he shoved the wolf-man into their room and slammed the door behind them. Felix leaned against the door and took a deep, long breath before he turned around, leveling his gaze on the wolf-man who had at least gained the decency to look remorseful. 

“What the hell was that?” Felix asked, surprisingly calm. Chris looked to the side and shrugged, regretting ever getting up to ask for water.  

“ _Chris_.” The hunter said in warning, “Tell me right now before I kick you out. Why did you do that?” 

The wolf-man ground his teeth together. There was no way to say this in a good way. 

“He said something disgusting about you,” Chris answered. “I got mad.” 

“And getting mad constitutes beating him to a pulp?” He said, tacking on after a moment of consideration, “What did he say?” 

Chris shook his head, feeling himself become angry as he recalled Hyunjin’s words. “I don’t want to repeat it.” 

“Tell me,” Felix said. “I deserve to know. I have the right.” 

The wolf-man hesitated and shook his head again, but gave in anyway. “None of it was pretty. He called you a bunch of shit and said you were using me and that you are a liar and I got so _mad_ that I didn’t know what to do. I just… I was hitting him before I knew it and I _knew_ you’d be mad at me but I just couldn’t let him say that shit.” He sighed, “And then someone called him Hyunjin and I realized who he was and I just… lost it.” He bit his lip, “I’m sorry.” 

A long silence - besides the soft noise of Felix pacing back and forth - followed. The hunter was debating if he was mad that Chris had started a fight, if he was mad that Chris thought Felix needed defending, or if he was mad because he was worried about what could’ve happened to Chris if Hyunjin’s strike with the bottle had been just a bit lower. 

Leaning against the ledge of the sole window in the room, he spoke. “You are an idiot,” he began. “What if Hyunjin had hit you in the neck instead?” 

Chris grimaced. He hadn’t thought of that.  

“You could’ve died. You could have killed him and gone to jail. You’re fucking lucky fate didn’t decide today was the day to take you out.” Felix crumbled, pushing off the windowsill. He sat down next to Chris, burying his face into his shoulder. “I hate you so much right now. Don’t scare me like that, for fuck’s sake…” 

Chris brought up a hand, stroking Felix’s hair. He found the smaller man’s hand with his other and gripped it lightly, knitting their fingers together. “I’ll try to be more… diplomatic, next time. If there is a next time.” 

“Of course there’ll be a next time,” Felix mumbled. “I’m mad but I’m not going to force you to sit at home every time I go out. You’re not a dog.” 

“ _Actually-”_  

“Don’t even argue. You _always_ insist you’re a wolf,” the hunter pulled away. Chris smiled when he saw the younger man fighting the fond grin rising to his cheeks.  

“Bark bark,” Chris said plainly, “I’m a dog.” 

“Shut up,” Felix laughed, hitting him in the chest. The wolf-man recoiled onto his back, feeling the pain of the bruise setting in. Felix snatched his hand away and stood up, face dripping with remorse. “I’m _so_ sorry!” 

“S’okay, Lix,” Chris grunted, not noticing as the nickname passed his lips. “You didn’t mean to.” 

The hunter made a disgruntled, unhappy noise. He felt bad for hurting him, even if it was unintentional, but if Chris said it was okay, it was best if he believed him. He did notice the nickname, though, and while it still made him anxious to hear, it sounded nice coming from him. 

The younger man, still standing, watched Chris with tired but contemplative eyes as the older man took a deep breath and patted the spot next to him. “Sit,” he said, and Felix complied. 

When he sat next to him, he caught the wolf-man starring, an indescribable look crossing over his face. Felix frowned, Chris patted his lap, and the hunter realized what he wanted with a roll of his eyes. 

 _Touchy bastard,_ he thought as he half-climbed, half rag-dolled into Chris’ lap, the older man’s hands gripping his hips and placing him on top of his legs like he weighed nothing. Normally that would’ve been a turn on for Felix - being lifted like that - but he was still anxious and Chris seemed to sense that. Felix could tell the contact was to calm him, not anything else. And it worked. 

The wolf-man leaned back, letting his hands drop from the crests of Felix’s hips to the back of his thighs as the younger man leaned down on top of him until they were horizontal and pressed chest to chest. It was a secure, comforting position that made Felix feel like nothing bad could happen as long as he laid there, listening to Chris’ calm heartbeat with an ear to his left shoulder.  

Felix wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It had been night when they arrived in their room, and it was still night. It felt like he was in limbo, or as if time didn’t exist in the first place. All that existed was the here and now, rather than the then and later or the then and before. 

When Chris broke the silence, the ambiance remained the same. 

“You are an amazing person,” Chris said. “You know that?” 

Felix hummed. “I like to think I’m pretty decent,” he responded neutrally. “You shouldn’t think so highly of me.” 

Chris shook his head, “I think I always will.” The wolf-man’s stomach was surprisingly calm, and his heartbeat remained mellow and soft. He knew how he felt and confessing that was easier now that he had accepted his fate. A long moment passed, but it was short considering how long the words have waited on his lips, unrealized.  

“I love you,” Chris admitted, feeling Felix’s reaction more than seeing it. The smaller man’s body tensed, the hands on his chest seizing his shirt and gathering the wolf-man’s heart up in it. He waited for the hand to rip away and fulfill his fears. 

And then the hand relaxed. He let out a slow breath, a small smile rising to his lips as the hand traveled from his chest to his collar to his cheek, that same smile broadening just slightly when Felix lifted his head and adjusted himself over him. Starry brown eyes looked down at him, filled with wonder, delight, and a heaping spoonful of self-doubt and disbelief. 

Chris couldn’t help but think of how it was so funny that he was now the one pinned and vulnerable under Felix. How, instead of looking down at the boy through his animalistic, tainted world view, he was looking up at him like he _was_ his world.  

The hunter stroked his cheek - the one that had been battered by the glass bottle - and leaned down to kiss it, his lips as soft as a butterfly’s wing. 

“Don’t go hurting yourself for me again,” the younger man said. “I’ll be upset.” 

To anyone else, a response like that may have seemed cold, but Chris knew what he meant. In his own way, Felix was saying he cared for him too, and that was enough for him. 

 

Things had changed the next morning - and not just by a little, but significantly.

For one, they had slept in the same bed without Chris shifting. Felix had insisted and the wolf-man couldn’t stop shaking his foot like it was a pseudo-tail from how happy he was. He only stopped when Felix kicked him, grumbling sleepily for him to _“Stop shaking the bed.”_ And Chris listened. Mostly. 

Come morning and the happiness hadn’t worn off in the slightest. _Small victories_ , Chris thought. _Small victories._  

They rode home, leaving early in the morning to avoid the bottleneck in the later hours when everyone else tries to leave town to finish their business. The trip home was easy, their horses unburdened beyond the carts carrying only lock boxes of coin and the items that they had purchased during their time in the city. 

Exchanging smiles with each pass of their eyes, a burning feeling of anticipation brewing in the pit of Chris’ gut every time Felix glanced back at him, his gaze thoughtful and calculating. He didn’t know what that look meant, but his instincts were telling him to prepare.  

Despite the trip being easy, they still arrived late in the afternoon, maybe an hour before sunset. The roads had been rained on which called for caution - the last thing any traveler needed was a horse with a broken leg, but luckily (and mostly due to Felix’s expertise, Chris knew jack shit about horseback riding) they arrived at the homestead unscathed. 

The wolf-man sighed as he leaned against May, rubbing his cheek against her cheek and giving the other side of her head a good scrub. 

“Good girl,” he sighed, mumbling. “I’ll sneak you some dates later, okay?” 

“Just make sure you don’t violate the rules of her diet,” Felix called from the other side of the stable. Chris rolled his eyes, whispering to the horse. “Like he’ll notice.” 

“I notice everything,” Felix smirked, startling the wolf-man. The hunter laughed as the hair raised on his nape, his hackles raised. “Stop being so quiet, you scared me!” 

“You’re losing your edge, wolf-boy.” He heckled, coming up to pet May. “Might want to practice your listening skills from now on.” 

“Oh, fuck off,” Chris grumbled, exiting the stables to hunt down the hand brushes. He looked over his shoulder when Felix called after him, the man standing on the edge of the wood siding to look at him as he crossed the property. 

“Grab the grooming kit?” Felix shouted hopefully. 

Chris rolled his eyes, smiling fondly when he turned away. “Already on it, love.” 

 

Horses? Cleaned. 

House? Cold. 

Bed? Warm. 

Two days had passed since they’d returned from their trip, and after plenty of hard work to get the house back into working order, the two of them cozied up next to each other in bed. Their last night in town had set a precedent of Chris remaining in his human form when they slept next to each other, the older man wrapping around the younger, nearly asleep. They had gone to bed early, maybe an hour before sunset. 

Chris felt the younger man shift. 

“I think I’m gonna wash off,” Felix said, removing Chris’ arm from where it laid over his torso. A whine escaped the wolf-man in protest, “But you’re already in bed.” 

Felix shook his head, the corner of his lips twitching up. “I’ll be back before you know it, whiny.” He quipped, stopping just before he closed the door to add, “Oh, and don’t fall asleep just yet.” 

Closing the door behind him, Felix wandered down the hall until he reached the kitchen, rifling through the storage cabinet until he found an old, soft cloth, a container of high-proof alcohol, and an old wash bucket. He set them in the bucket, taking them outside with him to where he normally washed up. 

 _It’s been a long time since I’ve done this,_ he thought as he filled the wash bucket with water and dumped it over his head. He hadn’t had sex in what, three years? Four? And yet the ritual of it was so familiar. Wash, rinse, wash, rinse, wash, rinse, sterilize. The sharp smell of spirits rose up around him, coating his body in a thin film that made him recall all that he had been through. Alcohol, to Felix, was not a comforting scent. 

But it was worth it. He thought about what Chris said to him - _I love you -_ and how that made him feel. Warm. Loved. Welcome. Hopefully the smell of alcohol wouldn’t carry it’s current connotation after tonight, but would take on a new one. The scent of a new beginning. 

He was shaking, but it wasn’t from fear, anymore.  

Just anticipation. 

 

Felix returned to their bedroom as the sun was setting clean and crisp with still damp hair. He hadn’t bothered putting on his old clothes, instead opting to tug an old white shirt over his head that barely reached his thighs. 

Chris watched him as he dressed, still half asleep but still interested in the scene before him. Felix’s legs were strong, the muscles on his thighs surprisingly tough and sinewy considering how clothes tended to make him look softer than he actually was. It was a sight he’d seen many times before in different contexts, but he still hated watching it go, morning the loss of the sight as Felix tugged a pair of night trousers up his legs. 

The wolf-man scooted over in bed to make room for the hunter, giving up part of his warm spot so he could reach his arms around his waist and guide the younger man down. Felix let him grab him, but instead of going limp, he propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at him. Chris blinked up at him in confusion, wondering why he was rejecting his cuddles. 

“Going to sleep already?” Felix teased. Chris frowned. “... What else would I be doing?” 

Felix hummed, a small smile rising to his face. With how often Chris made sexually charged jokes, he sure was fucking oblivious. “Me, for starters.” 

A moment of silence passed. Chris tilted his head. “I… what?” Felix groaned, burying his head in the wolf-man’s neck to avoid showing the flush rising to his cheeks. _Why did it feel so embarrassing to elaborate? I’m not a virgin!_ “What do you mean?” 

Felix sighed. Honesty is the best policy, right?  

He sat up, looking Chris in the eye. “I want to have sex with you.” 

“Oh. Oh, I wasn’t expecting that…” he mumbled, furrowing his brow, “... am I dreaming?” 

The hunter laughed, “No, you’re not dreaming.” He chuckled and shook his head, lowering his face so that it was just above the man’s below him. “Can I kiss you?” 

Chris’ face softened, “Of course.” 

On a physical level, the kiss was normal. It felt like pressure just like any other kiss, the plush of their lips was just as soft as it usually was, and the taste of his saliva was familiar and welcomed. But even while kisses will always feel like kisses, there was something about kissing _Chris._  

Maybe it was how his stomach stirred with how the wolf-man looked up at him between kisses with hooded eyes, or it was how shivers went down his spine when Chris let his hand wander up and down his back, his fingers dancing gently on his sides. Maybe it was how when Felix looked at him, he remembered the words _I love you,_ said with complete honesty and truth with no insistence of reciprocation. 

It made his eyes tear up, his chest swell, his hands twitch, his mind gallop at a speed faster than the swiftest stallion ever bred. Through deep breathes he reigned himself in from this feeling, channeling all it into three words he’d never thought he’d utter again. 

“I love you,” he whispered, knotting his fingers in the wolf-man’s hair and kissing him breathless, “I love you so fucking much.” 

Chris’ hands followed suit and fled from his back and into Felix’s hair too, bringing the man impossibly closer. “I love you too,” he smiled into the kiss, letting his proclamation sink in again as they met again, teeth clashing with fervor until it was less kissing and more melding, the only noise in their ears being the rushing of blood and the hiss of their breath. 

After getting over the initial shock of true intimacy after years of drought, Felix pulled away, looking at Chris again as if he could never have enough time to remember the details of his face. Chris bent forward, giving him a quick peck before brushing the hair out of the hunter’s eyes. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Chris asked, concerned. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to.” 

Felix shook his head, “I’ve been wanting this for a while.” 

“Oh?” Chris smirked, throwing a leg over Felix’s lap and climbing on top of him. “How long?” 

Felix shivered at the familiar position. “I thought you were attractive when we first met and I’ve wanted to fuck you since we first kissed. I liked how I could tell you what to do and you’d listen no matter how badly you wanted me. Seven Gods, I’ve been thinking about your cock for weeks.” 

“Fuck,” Chris cursed, bending down to kiss at Felix’s neck. “Keep talking.” 

The hunter let his arms fall, his fingers twitching at his side as the wolf-man’s tongue lapped at his neck. “You’re surprisingly submissive. I can tell you want to do things to me and I love telling you no before you can even voice what you want. I love teasing you and making you hard and pretending I don’t know that I’m turning you on and that you don’t fight it when I leave.” Chris growled, sucking a dark bruise into the nape of his neck. Felix continued, his words punctuated with gasps and whines. 

“You’re possessive of me but I never feel smothered. I love when you rub your scent off on me. I used to find it strange but I find it hard to resist now, especially when you bite me or hold me in place. Who fucking let you be that strong, I - fuck!” Felix’s back arched up as Chris slid his hands under his shirt, flicking his nipples as he sucked a bruise into the spot of skin between his shoulder and neck. “Fucking hell, don’t stop…” 

“I won’t,” Chris promised, grabbing the hem of his shirt. “Arms up.” 

Felix lifted his arms up, unsure of why he was following the older man’s directions, especially after he ranted about how much he loves having control. The situation was a bit ironic, if Felix thought about it, especially when he was letting Chris do whatever he wanted to him. 

His shirt caught a little on his nose as the wolf-man pulled it off of him, gaining a giggle from the both of them as the brunet above him apologized and flug the offending lump of fabric to the floor, but Felix’s laughs faded into his bated breaths when Chris slid his hands down his body and scooted back, his face now level with his exposed chest.  

“Take off your shirt too,” Felix requested just before Chris’ tongue made contact with his skin, “I don’t want to be the only one bare.” 

Chris smirked, sitting up. “You just want control back.” 

“Yeah,” Felix answered confidently, “And I’ll have it.” 

“We’ll see,” the wolf-man said, pulling his shirt off of his shoulders and dropping it to the side. Felix licked his lips as he looked at his bare torso. A part of him wanted to pin the older man down and make him squirm, but at the same time, Chris had _sinful_ lips and he wanted them on his skin. 

“Lift your back,” Chris asked, grabbing a pillow. Felix, understanding what he was doing, complied immediately. “Where’d you learn this?” He teased, “I thought you’d never had sex before.” 

“I stole one of your erotica novels,” Chris said, pushing Felix’s legs apart so he could sit between them. “ _Stolen Sands_ , I’m pretty sure.” 

The hunter looked to the side, noticing one of the books from his nightstand was indeed missing. “Oh, you rat bastard!” Chris leaned down and licked a broad stripe across one of his nipples before blowing air across it, chilling Felix. “Ah, fuck,” he cursed, arching his back as a shiver wracked his spine. His dick visibly twitched underneath his pants. “That’s the was one of my favorites!” 

“Good. I learned a lot from it,” the wolf-man said, tacking on, “Although, I still don’t really know what I’m doing. Tell me if I do anything you don’t like.” 

“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Felix panted, jerking his hips up when his lover began pressing on his lower stomach and rubbing his thumb in circles. “I’ll tell you if I want you to stop.” 

Chris continued biting down his chest, leaving irregular patterns and leaving marks wherever he wanted. It was partly soothing and party maddening, Felix groaning as his legs twitched to either side of the brunet’s body whenever he bit particularly hard, his sharper than average teeth leaving prick marks on his tan skin. His nipples became battered and abused, the skin brightened by the blood Chris’ mouth had drawn to them. 

He knit his fingers in his hair, guiding Chris down his body until he reached the waist of his pants, the brunet’s nose bumping into the brown fabric with wide eyes. Without being asked, Chris began to pull down Felix’s pants - sitting aside so that he could yank them all the way off - and, as a result, exposing the younger man’s mostly hard cock. He looked at it blankly. 

“Chris?” Felix asked, “You okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah…” he answered, voice contemplative. “I just realized I’ve never seen someone else’s dick. For some reason I thought they’d all mostly look the same, but yours… it’s so cute.” 

Felix’s face reddened, “Not everyone can be above average like you.” 

“... I’m above average?” Chris smirked, “I didn’t know that.” 

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Felix rolled his eyes, “And don’t call my dick cute.” 

“Can I call your dick cute if I also want to put it in my mouth?”  

“... Yes.” 

“Glad we could compromise,” Chris muttered out, eyes already on his dick. Felix was glad he was so focused down there because his face was on _fire_ . He’d never been given a blow job before and never thought anyone would ever _want_ to give one to him. He knew his assets lied in his ass and mouth, not his dick, but receiving oral has always been a fantasy of his, so he was both anticipatory and afraid of what was about to happen. 

What if Chris didn’t like it? What if he thought he was gross? What if he - _ohh._  

Felix’s toes curled when the wolf-man curled his hand around his shaft, his hand covering nearly the entire length of his dick besides the very tip. His thighs seized as his lover dipped his head to lick the tip, wondering what his mouth would feel like, and then his whole body seemed to go limp at once when he finally licked from his frenulum up to his slit. 

“Fuck, Chris!” Felix cursed, fisting his hands in his hair. His grip drew a moan from the older man. “Don’t stop. Fuck, please don’t stop.” 

The wolf-man offered nothing in response, taking up with wonder the smaller man’s cock. It was so slight, just like Felix’s overall body, and it looked so pretty in his hand, especially when the tip was flushed such a beautiful shade of red. It smelled good too, the heady scent overriding his brain and making him want to get closer, closer, and closer. 

He took the head of the cock into his mouth again, eager to chase the salty taste that had already settled on his tongue, and began to bob his head. In the book he had stolen from Felix, it said nothing felt better than _having someone take you in their mouth completely_ , and Chris was more than willing to try. He was a fast learner, after all. 

Chris closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Felix’s hands tightening and loosening periodically in his hair and using his moans and groans as sign of right or wrong. Rubbing his tongue up and down his shaft, he bobbed lower and lower until his nose nuzzled into the hunter’s curly hair. He breathed in, enjoying the scent. 

The wolf-man knew it was probably strange to enjoy something like that, but he couldn’t help it. Scent was important to him by nature and Felix was the most important person in his life and he just smelled _intoxicating_. He was so small he could just breath through his nose, swallowing around him occasionally, feeling the smaller man’s legs twitch against his sides with every gulp. 

He laid there for who knows how long, essentially cockwarming Felix and huffing his scent until he was practically drunk off it, spit gathering messily as he began to bob his head again. Chris repeated this a few times - bobbing his head and holding him still in his mouth - and Felix wasn’t sure if he was going to cry or scream. 

It was so annoying how Chris was so _good_ at this. Felix was the one with a lot of experience, not Chris, so why was he able to reduce the younger man down to a pile of mush with just his tongue and lips? It was unfair. Absolutely unfair. 

“Ch-” Felix tried to speak, but it cracked before he could get a full syllable out. _Fuck._ “Chris.” 

The wolf-man popped of his dick, a thin string of saliva connecting it to his lips before he wiped it away, looking up at him with curious eyes. “Yes?” 

“I’m going to cum if you keep this up.” 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” 

“I have a long refractory period,” Felix explained, “And I would like for you to fuck me before I cum.” 

Chris smirked, “Guess that means I’m doing a good job than?” He laughed when Felix swatted his shoulder with a pout. “Can I try one last thing? Before we fuck?” 

“Depends on what it is,” Felix said, giving him a look. “What’re you gonna do? 

“You’ll see,” Chris said, sliding his hands under Felix’s ass. A prickle ran down the hunter’s spine when the wolf-man splayed his hands under him, lifting him like he was nothing. He hooked his ankles behind his back, encouraging him. Chris was really checking off Felix’s bucket list today, wasn’t he? 

The brunet kissed and licked at his thighs in a similar manner to how he had already marked up his chest, leaving Felix in a state where it almost looked like he had _actually_ been mauled by a wolf. He bit into firm muscle, laving his tongue over and soothing the bites while his other hand crept up around Felix’s hip and onto his cock, lazily jerking him off as he focused with his mouth. 

He made his way higher and higher, making occasional eye contact and checking for reactions as he approached his goal. His skin tasted strange and it took Chris a while to figure out what it was. Whiskey. Felix tasted like whiskey - not so sweet, a touch of cedar wood, and a little bit of orange pith. 

Chris opened his mouth wide, letting his tongue lay flat against the hunter’s skin and he licked his perineum, sliding up and down until he felt puckered skin underneath his tongue. He took Felix’s moans as a good sign, licking harder and varying his tempo in order to draw more reactions from the younger man. 

He lapped at his skin, pulling off occasionally to blow a thin stream of air over the wet area in order to feel the normally perfectly composed hunter squirm. He became bolder with each moan, hooking his hands under Felix’s thighs and lifting them up onto his shoulders to get a better angle, feeling the hunter’s ankles lock behind his back and draw forward, pulling him closer. He laid there, sucking and spitting and soothing his skin for as long as Felix would let him. 

Suddenly, the hands in his hair cinched tighter and Chris immediately stopped, looking up at the hunter with only his eyes - not moving away - as he spoke. “Down, boy.” Chris shivered, sitting back on his heels as Felix used his hair to pull him up, rising to meet him with irises blown wide from lust. With his legs bracketed around the older man, Felix let go of his hair and pushed him down to the bed with a single hand to his chest. The wolf-man laid down willingly, entranced. 

“You always listen to me,” Felix said with satisfaction, enjoying the feel of the brunet’s compact muscles under his small hand. He moved forward, settling himself down over Chris still-clothed crotch. 

Chris let his hands stay at his side, his body refusing to move unless Felix told him to do so. He looked up at him, lips parted as he panted with every shift of the hunter’s hips. The hunter’s dick was flushed and stiff, resting on the wolf-man’s abs as his ass grinded onto his cock, just fast enough to make him feel like he was slowly going mad. 

“Did you read about this in your book?” Felix asked teasingly, smiling coquettishly at Chris’ gaping, droopy-eyed expression. The wolf-man struggled to form a coherent sentence, eventually settling on a strained, “N- No. Never finished.” 

“Pity. You could’ve gotten a lot of ideas from that,” Felix pouted. He grabbed the wolf-man’s hands and placed them on his waist, encouraging him to dig his fingers in and grip him tight. “What would you want to do to me if you could do anything?” 

“I-” Chris’ hands tightened, lost in the feeling of the rocking repetition centered on his dick. “Everything?” 

“You’re gonna have to be more specific.” 

The wolf-man closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as he composed himself. “I think about your- your neck. A lot.” 

“And?” 

“I always want to have my mouth on it,” he gasped when Felix leaned down, pressing his hands into his lower stomach. “Or my hands. Something.” 

“I noticed. You can’t stop touching me, can you? You really are like a dog. Loyal and clingy.” 

Chris’ face reddened but he wasn’t embarrassed, “You’re not much better.” 

Felix laughed. “You’re not wrong.” He said, smiling. His stomach turned, overwhelmed with a wave of emotion out of the blue. “I’m glad I went hunting that day. I’m so glad I found you,” the hunter confessed, continuing to grind on him. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

The wolf-man gasped underneath him as Felix’s hand pulled the hem of his pants down, Chris’ cock - red and flushed - popping up and pressing into Felix’s underside as he kneeled above him. He continued mummering confessions and praises as he ground down, his small hands doing their best to rub their cocks together as he rutted on the older man. He sighed, frustrated. “I hate how my hands are so little, fuck.” 

“I think they’re cute,” Chris said. Felix rolled his eyes, looking down at him. “You only like them because of how they make your dick look bigger.” 

“I don’t-” Chris thought about it for a second. “Okay, so maybe-” 

“If you like them so much, why don’t you make yourself useful?” Felix teased, dangling one of his hands in front of the wolf-man’s mouth, dripping with precum. “I need to open myself up somehow. Be a dear and help me get started.” 

Before Chris could protest, the hand was in his mouth, and at that point, Chris wasn’t complaining. On Felix’s hand was the delightful mixture of their scents and he was more than eager to let that linger as long as possible, shutting his eyes and he breathed and bobbed his head back and forth, enjoying the feel of his short fingers pressing down onto his tongue. 

He shuddered, bucking his hips up when Felix’s other hand played with the slit of his dick while shoving his fingers even further down his throat. He gagged, opening his eyes to see Felix’s face above him, keeping his mouth open as his fingers left his mouth and were replaced by his lover’s lips, honey sweet. They kept kissing even as Felix leaned on one forearm, the other arm behind him as he began to finger himself open. 

“Fuck, _fuck_ …” Felix gasped against his lips, their spit mixing messily as he spoke, not caring how it spread. Chris wiped his mouth, gaining enough sense to sit up, Felix still sitting on his lap with the wolf-man’s hands grasping his hips. “Let me help,” Chris whispered, “I want to finger you.” 

“Get the oil and you can finger me all you want,” Felix gasped out. Chris leaned to the nightstand, snagging the bottle off the stand. It was wide at the bottom with a narrow neck and sealed with a cork that he struggled with for a bit before giving up and biting it with his teeth, spitting it to the side with a scrunched-up nose. Felix laughed, “You’re so eager.” 

“I like the noises you make,” Chris shrugged, pouring some oil on his fingers like Felix had shown him. “Wanna be responsible for them.” 

Felix let out a small whine, hating that that made his dick twitch. “Start slowly. Only one finger.” 

“Will it hurt you?” The brunet asked with a frown. The hunter shook his head, brow furrowing as Chris hesitantly let his hand linger around his asshole. “Not if you go slow. Now, please stop ghosting my ass and put it in.” 

Chris did as he was told, and Felix gripped his shoulders tight. The wolf-man looked up at him when he made a strangled sound, worried. “You okay?” 

“Perfect,” Felix said, breathy. “You can move, if you want. I already loosened myself up a bit so, _ohh…_ ” His hips jerked forward when Chris immediately slid his fingers over his prostate - an area for him that was often difficult to reach without hurting his wrist or using a toy.  

“Does that feel good?” Chris asked. He slid his finger over the same spot, feather light. Felix squirmed and nodded, bracing himself as the older man began to move again, arching his finger and alternating between other motions to figure out what he was doing. It was gentle and curious, always asking if Felix was okay and if it felt good. 

“Add another. Please.” Felix said, feeling the tip of another finger prodding at him. He rocked back, the slide onto Chris’ broader, thicker fingers feeling foreign after so many years of doing it himself. The hunter sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head on the brunet's shoulder as he relaxed, letting the wolf-man do the work.  

The brunet spread his fingers, toying around with Felix’s rim in a way Felix would’ve sworn was teasing if Chris wasn’t still learning how to finger. He pushed back onto his fingers, a quiet insistence. Only after he added another finger was Felix becoming anxious to move on, his hand reaching down to stroke the older man’s dick. 

“I want to feel you inside of me,” He said, voice strained.  

Chris frowned. He felt dumb when it came to sex. “My fingers?” 

Felix gave his cock a long stroke, “Preferably this.” 

“Oh, um…” Chris fumbled with his words. “Yeah. Sounds great.” 

The hunter paused his outstretched hand reaching for the oil, concerned over Chris’ hesitance. “Are you okay with this, Chris? Talk to me.” 

The brunet shook his head. “No. I mean yes? Yes. I want to fuck you, but I’m - I’m scared of hurting you? Or doing something you don’t like? I just… yeah.” 

“You won’t hurt me,” Felix’s face softened, “And I _will_ tell you if something feels wrong or if you need to adjust. I’m brutally honest, remember?” The hunter laughed, but his glee quickly changed to anticipation when he remembered a conversation they had the night before. 

 _“A few months ago,” the rider began, “You said that when wolves mate, they bite. What did you mean by that? Theoretically, if we were to… mate… where would one, um… would I bite, or…?”_  

 _Chris swallowed. Once he thought about it, it was hard not to, currently fighting to keep his eyes on Felix’s face rather than his shoulder and to keep the thought of Felix biting his neck out of his head. “Both. We would both bite. It doesn’t matter where.”_  

 _“And,” Felix waved his hand, “Would I, you know…”_  

 _“Change?” Chris asked. Felix nodded. “You would. But only if I bit you. I didn’t think you would ever want to, so I never mentioned it.”_  

 _“But if I did want to?”_  

 _The wolf-man spoke seriously, not an ounce of playfulness to be found. “Then I would, as long as you were sure.”_  

Felix took a moment to think. Should he ask, or should he wait? When should he do it if he decided to, now or after they fucked? Should he even mention it at all? Chris was all he wanted in a partner and he _does_ love him, but did he want to be tied to him? He found his gut was surprisingly unanimous on the decision. Yes, he wanted to be with him - completely. 

Situating himself over Chris’ cock, Felix leaned forward - held up with Chris’ support - and kissed him square on the mouth as he let himself slowly fall. Their breath mingled as neither of them bothered to kiss anymore, instead gasping as the hunter moved up and down, sinking further upon Chris’ dick with each repetition until he had completely bottomed out. 

Felix tilted his head, not caring that he accidentally bumped their noses together as he looked at his lover through his lashes, hot breath ghosting his lips. He leaned forward, kissing him as he ground in his lap, full but unsatisfied. He wanted more. He wanted to bite him. 

“Let me bite you,” Felix whispered, their lips brushing from their proximity. Chris growled in response, a hand threading roughly through the hunter’s hair as he pulled the younger man’s face to the crook of his neck and shoulders. That was all that the hunter needed to know he had his answer, sucking a hickey into his neck as Chris began to lift his hips and fuck up into him, letting his instincts rule his body. 

“ _Mmm,_ ” Felix moaned as Chris fell back, the bed jostling underneath them roughly. Felix stayed sitting pretty thanks to Chris’ grip on his hips, the slap of skin against skin flooding the room as the wolf-man’s cock went in and out with a steady rhythm. It was rough, but that was how Felix liked it - he wanted to feel the ache the next day and the day after that, a reminder of what they had done. They kept at it for who knows how long, forgetting the hours as if time was nonexistent. 

After a particularly deep thrust, Felix bit down hard, feeling his teeth make an imprint in Chris’ skin - almost breaking the surface, but not quite. He let his head drop, letting out a low moan as his body seized when the wolf-man’s cock head dragged over his prostate and sent a current of pleasure down his spine. “Fuck...” Felix moaned uselessly, thighs twitching. “I can’t - fuck… Don’t stop, please...” 

He let out a pitiful whine when Chris pulled out, a few drops of oil and precum spilling out of him and onto the older man’s stomach. The hunter let Chris flip them over, Felix’s back settling into the rough mattress. The wolf-man forwent the pillow under the waist, instead grabbing him by the waist and pulling Felix up until his legs hung on either side of the brunet, held up only by Chris’ strength. 

The hunter gasped, not expecting the new position but definitely not complaining. He had a better visual, now, watching as Chris focused with an open mouth and dripping sweat as he put his dick back into the slighter man. He bit his lip, hissing through his teeth and tossing his head back as he reentered him, loving the feeling of Felix’s insides hugging around him. 

Small moans left Felix’s throat with every thrust, the wolf-man watching as the man below him closed his eyes and muttered curse words under his breath that only served to spur the top on. His dick, only a few inches long, slapped his lower stomach and formed a steady stream of precum that slid down his abs. Chris liked watching him seize up and relax, the visual evidence of the gratification he was giving his lover pleasing him to the core. 

When Felix turned his head to the side, Chris couldn’t help himself any longer. He set the man’s hips down and slowed his pace, hovering above the hunter’s neck as he waited for permission. Felix looked up at him dazed and unsure of why the older man was looking at him so intensely and hesitating before he realized that he was waiting for verbal confirmation. 

The human reached out to the side and fumbled around until he felt the wolf-man’s hand in his. He lacked their fingers together and squeezed, voice wrecked. 

“Bite me,” Felix said, no, _demanded._ He wanted this more than when he wanted to run away from Hyunjin and the city and all his demons that lived there. “Bite me wherever. Bite me multiple times. Do it.” 

Felix - lovely, blunt, undaunted Felix - had asked him to bite him. Who was Chris to say no? 

The wolf-man pulled out of his ass and took his hand out of his grip, stroking Felix’s dick in his left hand as his right held himself up to bend down with an open mouth, his abnormally sharp teeth pointed and ready. He rested in between his legs, glancing at Felix with his dark amber eyes, and gave him one more moment to pull away. He didn’t. 

When Felix next breathed it, there was a set of fangs sinking into his shoulder. He groaned, loud and pained and animalistic as Chris’ jaw cinched tighter, but he didn’t resist. He let him bite him like he said he would, eyes shut tight as he dealt with the expected, but still shocking, pain. It faded as he focused on other sensations, more than used to blocking out pain. Pain, after all, was only temporary - what he had with Chris was not. 

As Chris licked the bite until it stopped bleeding, Felix felt his thighs quiver. Between the pain and the pleasure and the sensations in between he was practically feverish, his body craving a way to get all this feeling _out._ He wanted the euphoria of a blank mind and a destroyed body, but at the same time, it felt like all he wanted was _more._  

 _Maybe I’m a masochist, after all,_ Felix thought to himself as he guided Chris’s mouth down his body, whispering _bite_ when he reached his thigh. Chris, once again, could not resist. He sunk his teeth into Felix’s flesh and lapped up the blood, rutting against his lower legs as he jerked himself off. 

It still wasn’t enough. 

Before Felix’s thigh could fully stop bleeding, he was forcing the wolf-man onto his back and straddling him. A few drops meandered down his thigh as he lined himself up again, this time giving Chris everything he had. He rose up and down, hands pressed to the wolf-man’s chest with a thumb pressing into the bruise he had made in the older man’s shoulder earlier. 

Panting, Felix ground back and forth until he felt Chris’ stomach tighten. Normally, Felix would pull off due to not wanting to deal with the mess afterwards, but he would make an exception for now. He reached down and began to jerk himself off, grinding harder and slower. 

The change of pace made Chris see stars. He couldn’t feel anything but the bruise aching on his shoulder, Felix, and the blood of the younger man dripping warm down his own thigh. The wolf-man felt overwhelmed to the point of no return, mouth gaping and eyes shut tight as he came, his body jerking up in periodic, irregular spasms. 

He reached down, sleepy, but not enough to be unaware of Felix’s own issue, jerking off the younger until he felt his warm cum spurt across his chest. The hunter moaned silently, a steep contrast to his earlier sounds, and slumped onto Chris’ chest, uncaring of his own cum sandwiched between them.  

Felix laid there for a moment, gasping quietly when he felt Chris’ dick slip out of him, but refusing to move, nonetheless. Chris, suddenly, was the most comfortable pillow to exist in the entire world. Finally, Felix was able to lay down and relax and enjoy - _actually enjoy_ \- the afterglow with someone he loved. 

All good things, though, must come to an end. This end in particular was brought by Chris muttering “You know, dried cum doesn’t feel that good,” with Felix proceeding to burst into laughter at the wolf-man’s reaction. 

Aiming to fix his lover’s problem, he pushed himself up off Chris and rolled off the bed to retrieve a washcloth. Walking past a mirror, a flash of light blue caught his eye. He stopped to take a closer look and was shocked by what he saw. Blue eyes. Sharp teeth. Bloody skin. Felix smiled, turning around with a cheeky grin. 

“Hey, Chris,” He purred, kneeling over him. “Mind if I take a bite?” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this beast in finished. finally, i can die in peace... except now I need to figure out what fic I'm going to write next. My twitter is [sungnsfw](https://twitter.com/sungnsfw) for anyone who wants to yell about SKZ or talk about WIP prompts with me!
> 
> thank you so, so much to everyone who helped me with this fic and supported it along the way, and as always, feedback is much appreciated!!! Please tell me how I did, I’m a whore for validation. Thanks for reading <3


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